AS members of the Hindu community observe Shivratri on Thursday, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar asked devotees to keep the nation in their prayers.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Persad-Bissessar said the occasion was a more solemn one in the Hindu calendar known for its introspective focus, fasting, meditation on Lord Shiva and an all-night devotion at Shiva temples.
Persad-Bissessar said, “Many times, in the fast-paced lifestyle of this modern world, we are caught up with the activities of work and responsibilities and forget the importance of introspection.
“No doubt today amid this ongoing global pandemic, we can all do with the peace and tranquility that meditation brings and the revelations about oneself that come with it. We learn so many new things about ourselves during self-introspection that we never knew of before.”
The opposition leader said she will also be engaging in some self-introspection, and she encouraged others to do the same.
“In doing so, only then will we truly understand the personal challenges we may be facing. Many times, we find ourselves spotting and pointing out the problems in everyone else lives but our own,” Persad-Bissessar said.
She added that Shivratri was also an opportunity to remind persons of what was truly important in life and that health, family, friends, and the simplest of interactions with loved ones were most important.
And Persad-Bissessar said, “We as a nation continue to face perilous uncertain times but we as a people have that strength to overcome. We have found that strength from within, in each other, or in the prayer which has all led us this far. The Lord did not bring us this far only to abandon us so we must always remember that when the challenges become the heaviest, our faith must be the strongest.”
