President Christine Kangaloo says there is so much to be learned from Muslims and the observance of Ramadan.
She said one of the major lessons the country learns is that of the essential paradox of existence—that it is often and only when we let go of our wants and desires, that we invite greater abundance into our lives.
“We learn that when we give up fleeting pleasures and temporary gratifications, we often gain enduring peace and lasting happiness. We learn that when we pay less attention to and pour less energy into our human wishes and longings, we often create the space for divinity to be at work in us. We learn the importance of reverential sacrifice and of prayerful discipline, and of the rewards that practising them often bring.”
In her Eid-ul-Fitr message, President Kangaloo said the call of Ramadan is universal—it is a call to learn to find fulfilment in the spiritual, and not only in the temporal and material.
“Just as the discipline of Ramadan precedes the joy of Eid, we are called to understand that restraint and self-sacrifice are often the precursors of deep fulfilment and true happiness. This is a call that applies to all of us,” she said.
She added that Ramadan and Eid are an invitation to rise above the constraints of the human mind and to embrace the joy and fulfilment that are to be realised in giving of ourselves to the service of that which is larger than we are.
“Ramadan and Eid are therefore an invitation to all of us to pursue joy and fulfilment by living lives of self-sacrifice and of discipline. These are the values which underpin a strong and resilient society,” the President said.