IF WINTER COMES, CAN SPRING BE FAR BEHIND?
Outlines:
1- Introduction:
Amidst sorrow and hardship, it's
crucial to maintain optimism and hope, knowing that joy and pleasure inevitably
follow difficult times.
2- Explaining
the Maxim:
a)
Drawing from Shelley's poetry.
b)
It imparts a lesson on the significance of optimism
and hope.
3- Vindication
of the Statement from Theoretical Accounts:
a)
Islamic teachings emphasize optimism during adversity.
b)
Biblical teachings also advocate optimism and
patience.
4- A Holistic
View of History Reflects Man's Triumph Over Adversity through Optimism:
a)
Humanity's resilience in hostile environments through
hope, optimism, and patience.
b)
Prophets' struggles to promote Revealed religions
rooted in optimism and hope.
c)
Major scientific discoveries stemming directly from
optimism.
d)
Survival of plagues and droughts fueled by optimism.
e)
Validation of the maxim through significant historical
events:
- The
Creation of Pakistan
- The
French Revolution
- Nelson
Mandela's struggle
- Martin
Luther King Jr.'s optimism in fighting for Black rights in the United
States.
5- Japan's
Post-World War II Progress Validates the Maxim: The remarkable progress of
Japan after World War II serves as evidence of the maxim's truthfulness.
6- Guiding
Principles to Address Contemporary Global Challenges:
a)
Tackling global warming.
b)
Combating terrorism.
c)
Addressing the depletion of natural resources.
d)
Alleviating poverty and hunger.
7- Conclusion.
In life, one has to face many ups and downs. Sometimes life
becomes a source of pleasure and joy while at other life brings sorrows,
difficulties, and suffering in the life of a person. The main thing is to
remain optimistic in the time of suffering. This excerpt from the poem of the
great poet Shelley also promotes the idea of being optimistic about the future.
If there comes a difficult time in life, that is the time of winter, it will be
followed by spring which indicates the season of happiness and pleasure. Even
the greatest religions of the world, Islam and Christianity, also guide their
followers to remain optimistic and patient in times of suffering. Furthermore,
the history of mankind is full of examples where optimism, hope, and patience allow
man to conquer the difficulties of his life. Man’s survival against a hostile
environment, the struggle of prophets to promote their religion, and the
greatest discoveries of science were only made possible by optimism and hope.
Similarly, the survival of man during plagues and droughts, the greatest
freedom movements, and revolutions owe their success to the virtues of patience
and optimism. The unprecedented progress of Japan after World War II is also
proof of the veracity of the maxim. Similarly, this principle also provides us
with basic guidelines to solve the problems of the contemporary world. The
menace of terrorism global warming, poverty, hunger, and depletion of natural
resources can be countered through an optimistic approach Thus, one should
remain optimistic, while facing any difficulty as no task or difficulty is
insurmountable with optimism and hope.
To begin with, if winter comes, can spring be far behind is
an excerpt from the poem of the great poet, Shelly. In this stanza of his poem,
Shelly gives the message of optimism and hope. Both winter and spring are used
as metaphors which convey the following respectively A winter season can be
desired as a dry season where one has to face difficulties and sufferings of
life. Shelly argues that in such a time one should remain hopeful as after this
difficult period there will be a period of pleasure and happiness. The metaphor
of spring is used owing to the lively and pleasure-giving attributes of this
season. Another message that Shelley gives is that of patience Patience and
optimism together enable a man to conquer the difficult. Hence, optimism, hope,
and patience are the virtues that Shelley promotes as the driving forces behind
success and pleasure.
Furthermore, the teachings of revealed religions also guide
their followers to remain hopeful in the course of any upheaval in their lives.
For instance, the teaching of Islam equates optimism to the act of worship.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “Hoping for good is an act of worship. In another
place, Allah Almighty gives the message to remain optimistic in difficult
times. He says in the Quran; “Be patient and optimistic in difficult times.”
Similarly, the teachings of the Bible also promote the virtues of optimism and
patience. Its teachings discourage the idea of hopelessness In one verse it is
said “Be courageous and strong. Don't be frightened and don’t be dismayed ” It
is clear from the excerpts of the teachings of these great religions that
optimism and patience are imperative to become successful in the time of any
difficulty. Therefore, these virtues must be exercised by the man to conquer
any problem in his life.
Moreover, a holistic view of the history of human beings
depicts that whenever man exercised the virtues of optimism and hope, he
emerged successful in times of difficulty. For instance, in the early period of
life, a hostile environment posed an existential threat to the human race. The
Ice Ages, floods, and hostile animals were the major difficulties man had to
face. In the words of Shelley, this was a winter period for human beings. A
hostile environment created difficulties for the human race, and owing to
optimism and hope, man countered the threats and difficulties of a hostile
environment. It was a hope that motivated him to face these difficulties and to
find a solution to counter these problems. It was hope of survival due to which
man came up with the idea of using animal skin to survive during the Ice Age.
It was the virtue of patience that enabled man to fight against wild animals by
developing hunting tools. Thus, the virtues of optimism and the lives of men
eliminated those problems that posed an existential threat to their race.
Similarly, the lives of different prophets also convey the
message of remaining optimistic and hopeful. Prophet Muhammad preached the
religion of Islam in Arabia. Owing to his preaching, almost all the people
stood against him and they started to create difficulties in the life of the Prophet.
Prophet had to face the pressure of his tribe and he had to live in the
proximity of Makkah without food and water supplies with his family. The
incident of Taif and the teasing tactics used by the people of Makkah showed
the season of winter in the life of the Prophet. But he remained hopeful and
within almost 15 years, he conquered the city of Makkah. Islam became the
largest religion of that time, and in no time, the Islamic Empire became the
biggest, and the promotion of Islam was only made possible by the perseverance,
and devotion of the Prophet (PBUH) This optimistic approach enabled him to
fight the difficulties posed by his opponents. It was his patience that made
possible the conquest of Makkah and brought the season of spring and happiness to
the Arab peninsula Therefore, the lives of prophets also promoted the virtue of
optimism and patience in difficult times.
Similarly, the main driving force behind scientific discoveries
and inventions was man’s pursuit of excellence The patience of Thomas Edison
and Isaac Newton enabled them be unlock the new potentials of science. The
contribution of the Wright Brothers transformed the idea of transportation.
Similarly, the optimistic approach of scientists enabled them to conquer space
technology. Today one observes tremendous advancement in the field of health
care. This advancement is a direct consequence of optimism which motivated the
scientists to counter the deadly diseases, The inventions of ships and boats
gave man the mastery over vastness of oceans.
All these greatest discoveries and inventions owe their
existence to optimism. It was optimism that urged Thomas
Edison to not lose hope after several failures to invest in light bulbs. Thus,
the main driving force behind the advancement and success of science is
optimism. This optimism ended the season of winter and brought the season of
spring into the lives of humans.
Likewise, optimism also helped human beings to survive
through the period of plagues and droughts. In the early period of human
history plagues and droughts posed an existential threat to the human race.
Millions of people died due to plagues and droughts. There was a time when the
global death rate increased
from global birth rate. In short, it was a winter period for
the entire human race as it was a time of difficulty and suffering. Here again,
man countered these problems through man to try to find a solution to these
problems. Owing to optimism and hope, humans discovered the treatment of the
diseases and hope led them to discover the agricultural potential of the earth.
Hence, through optimism and hope, man countered the problems of droughts and
plague and it brought the season of spring and joy into the lives of humans.
In addition to that the main driving force behind great
revolutions and freedom movements was also optimistic. The creation of Pakistan
is a classic example in this regard. The colonial rule in the sub-continent was
a season of winter and suffering for the Muslims of the sub-continent. They
were oppressed by both the Hindus and the colonial rulers. In the time of this
suffering, they did not lose hope and remained optimistic. Owing to this
optimism they conquered every difficulty and achieved their goal of having an
independent country of their own. Similarly, the French Revolution of the
eighteenth century also portrays the importance of optimism during a time of
suffering. The French people remained hopeful during the era of oppressing
monarchy and eventually, this optimism led them towards success. Therefore,
optimism was also responsible for the success of freedom movements and
revolutions.
Moreover, the struggles of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther
King for the rights of Black people also portray the importance of optimism in
difficult times. Martin Luther King's speech “I Have a Dream” is clear proof of
his optimistic hopeful approach. His optimism motivated him to see the dream of
equal rights for Negroes and whites in the United States. It was his hope which
urges him to lead the movement for equal rights and to end the winter period on
the Negroes of the United States. Similarly, Nelson Mandela also fought for the
equal treatment of black people in South Africa. During his struggle, he had to
face many hardships and spent almost thirty (30) years of his life in prison.
But he remained optimistic during this winter period and owing to his patience,
he achieved his goal. Thus, optimism is the key to success.
Similarly, the example of Japan also validates the veracity
of the maxim. After World War II, the economic and social infrastructure of the
country was destroyed. The territory of Japan was under the control of the
United States. Financial and human resources were used in the war and the
country was left with meager financial and human resources. In short, the
period of suffering was at its peak. But the nation of Japan did not lose hope
and the country remained hopeful during this winter period. Owing to this
optimistic approach, the country not only recovered from the devastation of the
war but also became one of the modern and advanced economic and social states
of the world. If Japan had lost hope during the time of suffering the revival
of such an exceptional pace was impossible. Hence, one should remain optimistic
as when winter comes, spring is not far behind
Furthermore, this message of Shelley is also a guideline to
solve the problems of the contemporary world. Today the whole world is facing
the problems of climate change, terrorism rapidly depleting natural resources,
and ever-increasing poverty and hunger. The global community should remain hopeful
about its ability to curb these problems. Losing hope will show that the world
has accepted defeat. These problems are not bigger than the problems that man
has faced in the past. Just like the experiences of human beings, only optimism
and hope can enable them to counter these problems. The world community has
taken a few measures in the Paris Climate Conference and formulation of the
Millennium Development Goals and the sustainable development goals to counter
these problems. This shows that the global community is optimistic about
countering these problems. But it’s a long journey and humans must not lose
hope as it will result in a catastrophe. Humans should stick to the message of
Shelley and the teachings of religions to go through this period of suffering
only then humans be able to curb these menaces which pose an existential threat
to the whole world. Thus, optimism and hope are imperative to solve the
contemporary problems of the world.
In a nutshell, Shelley problems the virtues of optimism and
hope to counter the difficult times of life one should remain optimistic during
the time of suffering as optimism will enable him to counter this suffering
successfully. The greatest religions of the world also propagate the virtues of
optimism. Islam and Christianity equate optimism with acts of worship. Even the
history of mankind also proves the validity of the maxim. Whether it is the
survival of man against the environment or the preaching of religions by
prophets, optimism was the driving force behind success. Inventions of advanced
machines and man's survival against plagues and droughts were the direct
consequences of optimism. Revolutions and freedom movements also owe their
success to the virtues of optimism patience and hope. These virtues should also
be employed to eradicate the contemporary problems of the world. Thus, the
message of Shelley to remain optimistic during sorrow and suffering was key to
success in the past and it will remain the main driving force behind success in
the future as well.
