Purpose and Hope

Today is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere. This is a day of hope and this season is a time for celebrations. Humans are optimistic by nature, I would argue. When we plan for the next day, when we think about the future we are showing optimism and hope. Tomorrow is not guaranteed for anyone, and life happens by happenstance and randomly even though we try to plan. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are short, the weather terrible and this is a time when hope is something, an outsider would think we are short of, but at this time of year, we have an overabundance of hope. 

We see it in our grandchildren's eyes as they think about Christmas, we see it in the faces of strangers as they look at the decorations on display. Those who are of the Christian faith, see this time as a renewal of the promise of their god to take on and forgive the sins of humans. 

Buddhists, see this time of year as a  time to observe and mark the time when Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment  

Hinduism has many festivals that celebrate the idea of growing which comes from having purpose and hope. At this time of year, one of the celebrations is Lohri is a traditional celebration, particularly observed by Northern India and linked to the Punjab region, to mark the passing of the winter solstice and welcome longer days and the sun’s journey to the northern hemisphere. 

All faiths have festivals that celebrate hope and purpose, in Islam the event is Ramadan, and the main goal during Ramadan is for people to become the best version of themselves. They make an effort to read and understand the Qur’an every day, try to be more charitable, and try their best to ditch bad habits.

For many, the Winter Solstice marks the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere), all thanks to the tilt of the earth. In many cultures, the day is a day of feasting and celebration, but even if you’re totally agnostic, you can still find a reason to rejoice, because, after today, you’ll see gradually shorter nights and longer days, which means you can look forward to the emergence of spring, and with spring comes hope and with hope comes purpose.