Happy New Year!
Many years ago, the high school I
attended had a programme where students would spend time at a “boot camp”. I
guess the aim was to turn the “little boys” into “young men”. There were
obstacle courses to be run every morning before breakfast, trekking, target
practice, abseiling, survival training (including learning how to build your
own shelter in the forest – and sleeping in it) and other individual “confidence
building” and team-building exercises.
One of these exercises was a day-long cross-country hike with full gear.
On arrival we had to pitch our tents and cook our food etc. All we were given
to find our way was a map of the area and a compass.
It was a team activity. One person had
the map, another the compass, while one other carried the tent in his backpack
and the fourth in our group carried the food in his. We had to move together
and we could only move as fast as the slowest member of the group. There were some disagreements on the way
between the one with the compass and the one with the map as to who was the
leader. The two with the tent and food sometimes felt they were doing the hard
work with the burden they had to bear on the journey. Eventually we reached our
rest site at the end of a very long day. We were not the first, but we were not
the last.
Later that night, as we lay in our tent,
digesting the food we had cooked, resting after the long walk, we began to
reflect on the journey itself. One of my teammates’ only contribution to the
sharing was that he was glad that the next day we would be picked up and return
to the base camp by bus rather than having to walk back. Another was critical
of how we performed, who did their part properly etc. Another was mindful of
the next set of tasks and exercises that awaited us at the base camp. My
contribution was appreciation that we had actually made it to the campsite
before it was dark and the rain had come and that we did not have to hunt and
forage for food or build a shelter, after the long trek.
2014 will be a significant year for
Fiji. On a national level, this year we mark the 140 years since Fiji became a
British colony, 44 years of Independence, 8 years since our last election. We begin this year with a new constitution
and the expectation of elections within the next 9 months – a map to lead Fiji
to what has been termed a “true democracy”.
In this process it has always been
assumed by those reading the map that their compass points true north. At times
both the map and the compass has been the source of dispute. At times, there
has been grumblings by those carrying the burden of the journey.
There are also those who are looking
beyond the map to the longer term, the future beyond 2014. Those for whom the
national map must be read in the light of the global map.
A few nights ago a friendly discussion
focused on climate change. One friend pointed out that we need not look only to
Kiribati and Tuvalu to see the impact of sea-level rise, but only at Nubukalou
Creek which is now significantly higher than “back in our younger days”, or the
streams at creeks along the Coral Coast that once fed into the sea but now
carry the sea inland a lot further. The story of Bau Island’s sea wall and
other stories of local relocation due to sea-level rise.
One friend made a comment about the
danger of open pit mining such as is taking place in Namosi and the possibility
of contamination of the Namosi River and the nearby coastal area. Another
reflection that evening was on the increase in violence against women.
It would seem that the map to a peaceful
and prosperous Fiji is larger than one may think. It is one we are all called
to navigate. It is one in which not just our minds, but our hearts, our souls
will be the compass that guides along the path. We will need to discern the
signs of the times and interpret the sacred and secular texts we consult in a
way that ensures that they are indeed a light for our path to a better society.
The Methodist Church in Fiji will this
year mark 50 years of being an independent conference. While often the focus on
a “Golden Jubilee” is more towards the “Golden,” the church has chosen to
reflect on the “Jubilee,” which according to a Christian theological
understanding means liberation of the slaves and oppressed, a return to one’s
home, freedom of prisoners, healing of the land, forgiveness and reconciliation
– a restoration of relationship between people and between humankind and
creation. The church’s Connexional Plan which will be launched later this year
has been developed with much prayer and reflection on this theme. It will be
the map to guide the church forward for the years to come.
As 2013 drew to a close and as I
reflected on the significance of 2014 for me as a Christian, a husband and
father, son and brother, as a Fijian and as a Methodist minister in Fiji, the
theme of jubilee – of empowerment and liberation; of restoration of
relationships – has resonated strongly. Perhaps we could all benefit from
reflecting on this theme.
If you a willing to reflect on this
theme, perhaps you may also wish to reflect on these questions:
·
What can I do to help reduce violence
against women and children in my home and community?
·
How can I be part of the
healing of the environment?
·
What positive contribution can
I make in my family, my community, my country?
·
How can my being a better
person make me a better Fijian?
·
What broken or damaged
relationships can I restore?
·
What is getting in the way of
my doing these things?
I suggest that before we get busy with
the “business” of 2014, we take a moment (however long we may need) to deeply
think about our own maps and compasses. It may mean that we have to “hang up
our hang-ups” (to quote my favourite musician Herbie Hancock). It certainly
means that we need to use our common senses and, for those who are willing and
able, our spiritual senses to ensure our compasses point true north.
It means, in the words of my best
friend, Sevanaia Laua Tora, to “Let your heart navigate you”.
May your year be filled with love, light
and peace.
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