SPEAKING TREE
A New Year Of Faith, Hope And Love

''all life is one. the world is one home. all are members of one family. all creation is one organic whole. no man is independent of that whole. man makes himself miserable by separating himself from others. separation is death. unity is life. cultivate cosmic love. include all. embrace all. recognise the worth of others. destroy all barriers and racial, religious and natural prejudices that separate man from man...'' so runs this year's new year message sent out from the swami sivananda ashram in rishikesh.yes, we must celebrate the new year in that spirit. such a spirit should animate our being — we who consider ourselves as children of the same father, bound to him and one another with the bond of love. we shall not enter the new year without faith. real faith invariably produces holiness of heart and righteousness. ''without faith, it is impossible to please god''. faith is certainly popular today. the physician, philosopher, scientist, doctor and even politicians are all ready to recommend faith as a panacea for all ills, whether moral, spiritual or economic. the general idea is that when one acquires fa-ith, out goes pessimism, fear, defeat and failure; in comes optimism, confidence, personal mastery, and unfailing success and so on. what is overlooked, however, is that faith is good only when it is based on the truth; when it is made to rest on falsehood it can and does often lead to tragedy. it is not enough that we believe; we must believe the right thing about the right one. none of us can expect a problem-free, trouble-free or pain-free life...none of us enters it with a guarantee that it is going to be great all the way. ''in the world you shall have tribulation,'' jesus warned his disciples and added: ''be of good cheer! i have overcome the world''. yes, with god on our side, we can triumph over circumstances and situations. perhaps you are brooding over past mistakes or future fears; problems that remain unresolved or sickness which persists. here is a passage which speaks of a hope that must sustain you all through: ''every day is a new birth in time, holding out new beginnings, new possibilities, new achievements... for you it can be a day of regeneration, renewal, rebirth. from the old past with its mistakes and failures and sorrows, you can raise a new being endued with power and purpose and radiant with the inspiration of a new ideal''. it is good to remember as well that we have a daily battle with the flesh — with the vanities of the world. you have heard it said umpteen times that he that disciplines his mind is greater than he who conquers a city. the battle of the flesh can be fought through an inner courage and by cultivating a strong will. on the one hand, this battle would require one to gather all one's faith and strength to resist the many temptations of life. on the other hand, it would require a surrender to a higher power or god. once this battle is won, man would be at peace with himself. christmas is a reminder of christ who came into this world to change our nature; to transform us so that our conduct promotes the honour of god and the good of our fellow men. the old sins of the flesh must be overcome by crucifixion of the self. this is a time for making efforts to set our house in order. what are some of the things we can do to make ourselves and others happy? here is a list: mend a quarrel. search out a forgotten friend. dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. give a soft answer. encourage youth. keep a promise. forego a grudge. forgive an enemy. listen. apologise if you were wrong. examine your demand on others. think first of someone else. be kind. be gentle. laugh a little more. take up arms against malice. decry complacency. express your gratitude. worship your god. gladden the heart of a child. take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. count your blessings and thank god for all of these. to journey along into the new year, we thus need faith, hope and love. of course, our greatest resource could be love. life is about exercising this love. paul e billheimer, a german writer, observes: ''life is for learning love, not for sensual pleasure, nor for accumulating riches, nor fame, not for building great manufacturing, commercial or military empires, nor political power... when one has learnt love, he has succeeded in life no matter how he has failed otherwise''.