A Quiet Nobility.
The Wisdom of the ancients often proclaimed, that every person who walks the earth, carries a light within his/her heart: A light, which manifests itself through patient endurance of one’s trials, and one’s perseverance, through one’s sufferings. Thus, revealing itself in a blazing aura of one’s faith and friendship, courage, and determination, it becomes a guiding force for all those, woven into our individual fabrics of reality, we call life. As a result, there are those of us, whose silent sufferings and quiet sacrifices have paved humanity’s way to a better future. The rapidly growing disease of cancer has plagued the hearts of many such worthy individuals and consumed their souls. In doing so, it wreathed these heroes in a quiet nobility of their own, making them martyrs of this ongoing war.
Sadly, however, without our conscious knowledge of our own indifference, most of us are so engrossed in our daily lives that without meaning to, we end up being disgraceful to their martyrdom. Consequently, their lives, which were to fuel the brightness of our future with the knowledge of how and why such a disease is rampant in our societies, end-up becoming mere memories of the departed. Their sacrifices, which were to be the soul of our endeavors for its prevention, and the spirit of our efforts to finding its solutions, are reduced to mere tales of loss or survival. And so, because of our unintentional indifference and lack of awareness, experts believe that by 2030, this death toll of 9.6 shall rise to a loss of 13 million people a year. However, by a global commitment to implementing resource appropriated strategies for its prevention, early detection, and treatment, more than 3.7 million lives can be saved. It is indeed a matter for our thought and consideration, of our own choice to let ourselves be educated and trained against the horrors of this rapidly growing disease; to put in our own contribution in relieving our world from its poisonous presence.
In essence dear friends, to honor all those who are battling against this disease, and to provide an opportunity to those who wish to play their part in aiding such worthy souls, The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) has taken the initiative of celebrating every year, World Cancer Day. Accordingly, on every 4th of February, different events are conducted throughout the world to educate people about the causes, preventive measures, and overall hazards of cancer. Through monetary or moral support, many people earn the privilege of becoming a part of these endeavors. Even if you do not have money to donate our time to attend such an event, I would urge you to kindly schedule a visit to any random cancer patient on this 4th February, or any other day of your convenience. For dear readers, unlike you and me, unlike most of us, they do not have the luxury of ignoring death. Let each of them take comfort from our presence, and solace in the thought that other than their immediate families and friends, they are a part of us too, of the greater humanity. Let us be their faith in the will to survive, and their courage, to brave the stormy seas of their sufferings.
May He, The Most Merciful bless us all the wisdom to be an expression of his mercy for others, and the tenderness to feel the pains of all our brothers and sisters, and to ease the burdens of their trials by each and every ability we are blessed with. Amen.