As 2017 comes to an end most people would be remarking that this year flew by so quickly. To a certain extent it must be true that every year seems to be passing by at a faster pace and this is probably due to the fact that we are all living a very busy and fast tracked life, so much so that we are not realizing the importance of time itself.
Time has become a very precious element in each and everyone's life more than ever before due to the fact that we all have very tight schedules to keep up with, deadlines to meet and unending agendas to cope with in a very limited time frame. All this 'speed' could also be seen as a deterrent to one's memory; we do not have the time to be still and stop to reflect on the real essentials of life. We somehow seem to not afford the luxury to stop and reflect.
Looking back at what we went through in the past twelve months does not necessarily mean that we are getting into the nostalgia mode of the past but rather that we may need to learn from the experiences we lived in order to amend where we went wrong, and possibly build on what was done rightly. The moment I sat down to start writing these few words I am myself realizing the numerous experiences I embraced this year, not all were pleasant experiences and quite a few were bitter and heartbreaking.
As a nation I believe we have also gone through a rollercoaster of events, some of which will probably remain vivid in our memory more than others would, but obviously it all depends on the impact such events had on our personal lives.
Looking back at this year I feel that as a nation we still have giant steps to take when dealing with one another, especially on the level of reciprocal respect. The free for all attitudes on social media have certainly not been a positive witness for those who hold the values of respect and love to heart. The hate speech and the constant judgmental discourse with which we seem to nowadays address one another have become the modern norm and we have forgotten that we can cause unnecessary pain to others by what we say or write in public, especially if it's based solely on gossip.
This lack of reciprocal respect is not only seen on the social media platform but also in our roads on a daily basis. Patience and respect seem to have been values of the past and no more present in our society. The way we drive, the way we treat others on the road, the way decide to take the law in our hands and close off roads for our own needs or take over parking spaces reserved to those how have a disability as though it's my own 'right' to do so is so not right at all.
The brutal assassination of one of Malta's top investigative journalists will surely also remain impressed in our memory as one of the bitterest events this year. Justice needs to be done and with a certain sense of immediacy too. It is our sacrosanct duty to make sure that this occurs in the months to come.
Another concern which throughout this year was very worrying was the constant raping of our environment. It is something which the future generations will look at our generation and despise us for it. Greed has taken over our reasoning altogether on every front. Most arguments are being based on what is mine by right and on which is the best way to acquire more wealth immaterial of the impact this is going to have on others now or in the years to come.
Even though we can boast of a healthy economy at the moment the amount of people who are living on the poverty line or beneath it is increasing in an alarming manner. Something must be wrong somewhere. We need to go on a thorough soul searching exercise and see why such situations are still prevalent. This is not a perception but a reality. The fact that there are people who cannot afford a proper meal or who are financially unable to keep up with their monthly rental payments is something I encounter quite regularly and it's worrying.
Having said all this we now need to look ahead and seriously evaluate what needs to be seen to with a sense of immediacy. We need to act fast and in a concrete manner and making sure that the bitter experiences lived this year are not carried forward to the new one. We need to be witnesses of hope more than ever before. Let us look forward to welcoming 2018 hoping that as we embrace every new day of this year we may also realize the beauty of the gift of life in its entirety. May we do our utmost in this New Year to safeguard this gift with all our strength, hoping that many others would do likewise in every circumstance we encounter.
I wish you all peace and serenity.
Fr Claude Portelli is parish priest in St Julian's.