A year has passed, and a new year comes – By Dr. Hossam Badrawi

At the beginning of a new year, I have reviewed my actions, words, what I have read, ‎heard, and seen. This article aims to share a part of me with the reader, hoping to ‎add experience, plant a seed, and perhaps together we can be optimistic about ‎tomorrow, appreciate the beauty of life, and thank God for His blessings. ‎

Darkness may be the prelude to daylight, and pain may purify souls, and adversity ‎may be the path to salvation.‎

A new year is abundant for those who read, and it brings days of goodness and ‎enlightenment for those who read and understand. Politically ,It also brings hope ‎and brightness for those who do not turn supporters into servants, opponents into ‎traitors, and those who differ in opinion into agents. A picture in one colour has no ‎value; it is the diversity of colours, characters, and perspectives that give it weight ‎and shape a better future.‎

The beauty of Egypt lies in the diversity of ideas and orientations. The fundamental ‎value of Egypt’s existence, alongside its unprecedented human and civilisational ‎history for thousands of years, since the beginning of enlightenment, is the diversity ‎of its people. Let us take pride in our diversity in thought, religion, and opinion, and ‎let us hold onto our unity in the pursuit of social progress and happiness. ‎

We agree on the goal, while the means may vary.‎

‎”The true wealth of Egypt lies in its citizens throughout history. It was the Egyptians ‎who built the Egyptian civilisation in the oldest state in history ,They were the ones ‎who initiated enlightenment in the region. I fear losing our most precious treasures, ‎which are our children and youth, whether through declining education levels, ‎extremist thinking, regressive behaviour, or the loss of values.‎

We must be prepared to choose and make cultural, social, and political decisions ‎that not only serve the enlightenment of minds and reshape the future of the ‎country to suit the development of humanity but also become the creators of that ‎future.‎

We do not want half-openness and half-closure , Halfway doesn’t take us to the ‎finish line, so we don’t win anything, and we cannot have a fresh start.‎

‎”To be optimistic means to see the light amidst darkness, to feel that despite all the ‎challenges, difficulties, and pains, there is still much to love about life. It is beautiful ‎and worth living for, struggling for, and fighting to achieve and attain.”‎

‎”The lesson I learned from the January revolution is that revolutions occur when ‎hope is lost in achieving a movement and change that truly addresses the needs of ‎the masses through legitimate means. Revolution, in the academic definition, is an ‎illegitimate act against an existing system. If it succeeds, the system becomes ‎criminal, accused, and guilty. If it fails, the revolutionaries become criminals and ‎outcasts from the system. Heroes and villains switch places because the victors are ‎the ones who write history.”‎

‎”The reality of life that I believed in and my faith in it is that from time to time, we ‎need a shake-up and awakening, but we do not need destruction and chaos. I have ‎learned that wise governance allows for change from within, with a declared vision, ‎and permits the peaceful transition of power without the need for revolutions.”‎

‎”Wise governance listens to those who differ with it, engages in dialogue with those ‎who have different perspectives, and must have political experts and advisors who ‎do so for and against it. Security institutions should protect rather than prevent this ‎because they protect a system, not an individual ruler, and safeguard a state where ‎systems change.”‎

The wisdom of experience says that the optimal path for the progress of nations is ‎to move forward through transformation, not revolution. We should strive for ‎development, not sudden bursts, and there is no need for us as citizens to fear or ‎intimidate society as rulers.‎

Socrates said, “The leaf that does not fall in autumn is considered treacherous to its ‎sisters, faithful in the eyes of the tree, and rebellious in the eyes of the seasons. ‎Everyone sees the situation from their own perspective.”‎

I have found that I may not agree with an idea, but I do not argue with the thinker. I ‎was impressed by Galileo’s statement: “It is easy to understand any truth after its ‎discovery, but the idea is in discovering it.” A person may die, and nations may rise ‎or fall, but the idea continues to live on. Ideas do not expire if they can confront the ‎constants that the public believes in and become part of their collective ‎consciousness.‎

We must understand that an idea becomes powerful when it captures the hearts of ‎the masses.‎

I read some quotes by Bertrand Russell that I would like to share with you, where he ‎says, “Societies can be ignorant and backward, but the most dangerous thing is ‎when they see their ignorance as sacred and do not allow it to be discussed.” He ‎also said, “Do not be afraid to have a different opinion, Every accepted opinion today ‎was once contrary to prevailing beliefs.”‎

‎”Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and this fear tends to produce aggression ‎towards those who are not considered members of the herd.”‎

‎”When faced with opposition, even if it is from your spouse or children, try to ‎overcome it through argument and discussion, not through authority. Any victory ‎based on authority is not genuine and is illusory.”‎

I have read and would like to share with you how a person can be a blessing to those ‎around them:‎

If you have a comforting presence in someone’s life, someone who chooses the right ‎words to soothe their gentle soul, you are a blessing.‎

If you always make people feel the best about themselves and bring out the best in ‎them, you are a blessing.‎

If you don’t explode with anger when you’re upset, but show mercy to those in front ‎of you, you are a blessing.‎

If you have chosen to be one of the servants of the Most Merciful, who walk upon ‎the earth gently, and when the ignorant address them, they say, “Peace,” you are a ‎blessing.‎

I always think about a verse in the Quran that contains wisdom that its interpreters ‎did not fully understood in their time. It says, “Allah does not burden a soul beyond ‎that it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it bears every ill that it earns.” I ‎read a beautiful interpretation of the verse that says, “Let the one who has capacity ‎spend from their capacity.” It doesn’t say, “Let the one who has wealth spend from ‎their wealth.” So, if your capacity lies in kind words, spend from it. If your capacity ‎lies in a pure smile, spend from it. If your capacity lies in assisting others, spend from ‎it. If your capacity lies in mending hearts, spend from it. If your capacity lies in ‎spreading knowledge, spend from it. If your capacity lies in reconciling between ‎people, spend from it. If your capacity lies in doing good within your means, spend ‎from it. Spending is not limited to wealth; it is not limited to the rich.‎

Let us remember at the beginning of a new year that if we have gathered dozens of ‎issues, one issue should not separate us. Let us not demolish the bridges we have ‎built and crossed, as we may need them to return someday.‎

Imam Al-Shafi’i said, “Even if you are pricked by a thorn one day, be a planter of ‎roses.”‎

And I have learned from what I have learned, attributed to my idol Ali Bin Abytaleb,: ‎‎”Not everything known should be spoken, not everything spoken should be spoken ‎at the right time, and not everything that is spoken at the right time has reached its ‎intended audience.”‎

In the beginning of a new year, let us remember this wisdom: “Do not cry over ‎everything that has passed, but make it a lesson for you ,For nothing makes you ‎great except great pain, and not every fall is an end, for the fall of rain is the most ‎beautiful beginning.”‎

Your interaction with others determines your status, and the higher your manners, ‎the higher your status.‎

I will conclude with a wise saying: “If you shed tears for someone’s pain, you are ‎noble, But if you participate in their healing, you are great.”‎

And a poem by Elia Abu Madi that I love says:‎

‎”Love…‎

And the hut becomes a bright palace…‎

And hate…‎

And the universe becomes a dark prison…”‎

May we have a sweet year filled with love, tolerance, forgiveness, work, hope, ‎freedom, and happiness.‎