When we thought we were headed towards days of light and filled with hope, all of a sudden, cries of darkness began to be heard here and there. “Are we turning back to the olden days of conflict?” – we chilled with the possibility.

By contrast, how enchanting those words once sounded: “Respect for humanity,” “love for everyone and everything,” “compassion toward the whole world.” We took so much pleasure in these words. Loving them, we walked calmly and with confidence toward the future, without even pausing to think of the obstacles that would arise along the way. Then, out of nowhere, the demons of resentment, hostility, and anger emerged before us.

With the pitch-dark thoughts they scattered, they dimmed the horizons, tore down bridges, and made the roads impassable. At times, they appeared as if they were envoys of light, yet played games of the dark; at other times, they revealed their true bleak colors and declared war against enlightened ideas. They did not hesitate to defame even the most sincere and charitable thoughts and efforts. Whether acting as mere extras in the drama of darkness or masquerading as bearers of light, they remained dark all the same. Regardless, they were splurging on the performance of Satan and fanning the flames of dissension.

For quite some time, many of us have abandoned everything of value and turned instead toward destroying the bonds of brotherhood and friendship. We became so blind we did not realize we were destroying ourselves. Furthermore, we directed all our emotions and thoughts towards enmity. This became a part of our lives. Despite yearning for brotherhood and friendship, we constantly breathed hostility. But despite this desperation, we were unable to change. If only we had!

Had we been able to establish such brotherhood and friendship, we would have leapt over the mountain-sized problems now before us and perhaps made our voices heard all the way to the stars. But we could not – or rather we were prevented from doing so. Different groups were made into enemies, clashing constantly, opposing nearly every person and every idea, thus turning themselves into victims of the age. Today, some of us react against everyone and everything, branding whoever thinks differently. We fail to consider that if such behavior continues, we will soon be all alone, captives of our own desperation, slowly turning the possible gardens of the future into dungeons of hell.

Despite all this, we still have countless reasons and motivations to form the foundation of our hopes. What happens with some of us, however, is that reason and judgment fall captive to emotions. Thus, they live in constant inner contradictions and continually stumble into crises at the very core of their fundamental ideas.

Indeed, when thoughts and actions are programmed to destroy one another, such groups cannot constitute a sound nation, even if they are from the same homeland. They live and die as captives, entangled in the web of conflicts and falling apart.

I wonder: is it not time for us to seriously question ourselves and our motives? If this insensitivity continues – may God forbid – we may find ourselves trapped beneath the ruins of our self-destruction. The mere possibility of this should make us tremble with fear and encourage us to embrace one another. As a society, our primary, most significant virtue, is the respect we show one another. Our greatest source of power is the solidarity we build across our hearts, emotions, consciousness, and willpower. At its core, all of this rests upon accepting one another as we are. And yet, while we extend messages of friendship to the whole world, we withhold even a fraction of that friendship from our own people. Why is that?

I agree that we should display friendship and kindness to all; but prior to this, is it not our duty to eliminate the resentment, hostility, and enmity we harbor towards one another? These hateful feelings are a disgrace, whether the person harboring them is a religious leader, scientist, scholar or an executive. Indeed, such individuals are lessened both in the eyes of God and in the eyes of the nation. What could have been a great achievement ends in failure.

Respect for humankind is a necessity of being human. Loving people is a requirement of God’s good pleasure and is of benefit to society. Those who act disrespectfully only reveal their own lack of character and humanity. Those who despise others reveal the true identity of their consciences. Those of superior character are always modest and humble. This serenity of spirit infects those around them. In their eyes, there is nothing more valuable than love and respect… they would choose to love and be loved, rather than ruling the universe. These are individuals who base their own lives upon the happiness and prosperity of others. They exist to serve others and strive to live on the path of the great Prophets.

Harboring kind thoughts and aspiring to goodness for everyone is a decree of God. They believe that this kindness will be rewarded in the hereafter. Although these individuals may not be pursuing such a reward, for every good deed, they obtain the reward of ten deeds. Those who succumb to resentment, abhorrence, and hostility are continuously undermining their own humanistic values and destroying their position in the hearts of others. Continuing to live in the grip of evil emotions and ambitions is nothing but self-torture and immorality. Recognizing the good in everyone and embracing all is evidence of high stature and heroism, for to bring under control one’s resentment, anger, and selfish desires is nothing less than a heroic act. Such heroes free themselves from the humiliation of being slaves to their egos and laborers for Satan. Instead, they rise as honorable servants of God and become masters of their own inner worlds.

As a society, for a long time now, we have been slaves to our desires and carnal soul. Many of us act upon Satan’s provocation, causing us to feel offended by everyone. Whether we are conscious of this behavior or not, we betray our human values and throw our inner worlds into turmoil. Our hearts, which are the pavilions of love and affection, have been overwhelmed by the emotions of evil. Our souls have been commandeered by abhorrence and hostility. We are no longer capable of loving, embracing, or tolerating one another. Our pavilions resemble owls which dwell in rundown structures; we practically enjoy destruction and the sight of ruins. We attack everyone and everything, and with a massive sense of ambition, we constantly pursue destruction. We are disrespectful to God, to people, and to our fellow men. We commit unforgiveable sins. What is more, we even expect praise for the evil things we do.

Every new day sees the sun rise on yet more oppression, aggression, and injustice. The nights pass in total darkness. It’s almost as if we are determined to be a society of sin. Our humanity is overshadowed by our egoistic desires. Our emotions dominate our logic and judgment. Our hostility overwhelms love and tolerance. We condemn so many with our preconceptions. Who will we hurt or abuse next? We are caught in a state of perpetual insanity. We crave oppression and are not ashamed of abusing others or by continuously committing sin.

There are so many sins for which we must repent! The sin of defying God; the sin of resentment and hostility towards others; the sin of disrespecting different opinions; the sin of sowing the seeds of controversy and division; the sin of seeing and thinking nothing but doubt and gloom; the sin of considering ourselves as innocent and all those around us as criminals; the sin of destroying our own humanistic values; and so many more… Now must be the time to repent.

Let us view the days of light on our horizon as an opportunity for forgiveness and to purify ourselves. From this moment on, we should make every attempt to respect others, to guard our humanistic values, and to accept everyone for who they are. Let’s bury the past with all its dismal perspectives and not make yesterday’s mistakes cause for today’s conflicts. We must underline the importance of solidarity and brotherhood at every possible opportunity.

If humane values still beat in our hearts, even faintly, and if we have enough strength, then let us enthusiastically embrace one another. Let us gather the pieces we have shattered and scattered, and find ways to bind them together so firmly that they will never again be torn apart. We always considered resentment, abuse, and anger as brutal hijackers – we must put them to bed. Let us try to understand the language of the heart that will make us loved by people and bring us closer to God.

Transforming this sacred land to paradise can be accomplished only by those who build paradisical gardens in their own souls. Those whose souls are in the grip of carnal desires – desires that lower humankind with contempt, would not only fail to build such gardens, but even if, by chance, they passed through the meadows of Paradise itself, they would likely darken their face and turn them into dungeons.

Let us make the best of these days when the skies and our spirits are illumined with divine grace and heavenly lights, when the breaths of Gabriel the Archangel are felt all around. Let us join hands once more, speak with our hearts, and raise our voices together until they echo among the stars.