Emad Barsoum writes: Conquering the Tribulations
A few days ago, young assistant at my workplace hopped in my office like a sparrow, with a cheerful smile and shiny eyes, not without few tears, cried: "Finally!" I stared at her in amusement and asked: "what? Did you win the lottery?" She sarcastically replied: "No I wish, then added, my wedding day has been set!" I remembered; her wedding was postponed three times in over 6 months due to the unwelcomed visitor to our planet, the COVID-19. After many attempts to have the wedding take place, she was about to give up hope, however, her love to life and willingness to start a family supported by the love of her partner were the fuel that gave her the power to keep trying and conquered the pandemic’s impact on her life. At the same time, it happened that I was online watching the closing ceremony and the announcements of the winners in different categories of the Ontario International Film Festival (ONIFF), on its first edition. Watching film makers from all over the world talking cheerfully from their hometowns, made it evident that art and man together can conquer the tribulations in our life. If we look back to the history of mankind, during the known written and documented eras, we will immediately observe how resilient mankind is to all calamities, and how he survives only because of his love to life. Life is a passion beyond expression, it is love, peace, and hope. Hope, because people need hope to conquer. However, hope is not possible to be shaped nor exist without a positive surrounding environment, and if we gaze around nowadays, we will immediately realize that very few elements would provide that hope. Would governments be responsible to provide hope? Apparently, this is what they believe they are doing, however, whatever news, statements, or declarations that are brought out by the governments carry more despair than hope. The current situations of the pandemic and all its negative impacts on life exist, but beside warning people about the dangers and how to take all precautions against pandemics - despite of all the negative economic indicators - there must be a new rhetoric, showing that there is a bright light even before we reach the end of the tunnel. Give people a reason to live for, set aside your political differences and disputes, the world is one when it comes to face calamities. Apart from public health awareness, do not use these times to introduce new binding or restricting rules, bylaws, or decrees, we have enough of those. Do not attempt to push quietly new changes to existing bylaws, just in accord to certain factions’ interests. Instead of the radical speeches coming from the different ideological institutes that put fear first ahead of hope; there must be a drastic change to show the goodness of mankind, and how all tribulations can be conquered, in the same way that humans have done throughout history, this is not the medieval ages or an era of fundamental or ancestral diction. We have hope despite all reasons that may cause despair, we love life.
A tribute to ONIFF for its success on their first edition in 2020, and to all those who stood behind it and conquered the difficult times of the pandemic.
