Christmas trees this year, are sadder than ever. The children who are now held hostage, children who have been injured in the war, and those children who have died, all would have been looking forward to Christmas feeling warm, however small it may be.
It was supposed to be Christmas when people would talk about their dreams, decorate their trees, and make wishes, gathering together to enjoy the holy night and spend a warm and happy time with their families, however humble it may be.
However, now, the children of war are terrified, crying from loneliness, suffering from hunger, and dying from bombings…
Does God really exist? It makes me think. What is religion all about? When will there be an end to the war?
My family is not religious, and we have God in our hearts.
For me, playing the violin is praying.
At Christmas, I have more opportunities to play “Ave Maria” by Bach and other various composers.
Ave Maria, Oh, Ave Maria.
I just hope that the melancholic melody played as a prayer will reach the soldiers on the battlefields of Gaza, Ukraine, and other countries at this very moment.
There are so many pieces of “Ave Maria” composed by various composers such as Bach, Schubert, Gounod, Caccini, Saint-Saens, Arcadelt, Mozart, Mascagni, Bizet, Liszt, Verdi…
I am now feeling more than ever, the desire to play Ave Maria.
I never thought that I would live to be seeing war so close at hand, in December, the time of year when it draws to a close. Actually, the images on the news we see are unbelievably real.
We are getting used to seeing and hearing daily, the indifferent reports of what is happening right now. But we cannot do anything about it here. We see people fighting against one another, intense exchanges of killings, and intense emotions exploding that no one can stop as the cycle of hatred is amplified. We learn from the news shows about the people fighting back as they have been beaten, and about the number of people who have died or been injured due to collateral damage.
Doesn’t this mean that I am a bystander? I feel devastated.
I don’t know how to react to the fact that innocent children, elderly people, civilians, and even hospitals are being targeted in Gaza, and we are informed of them by the news.
The journalist who reported in red eyes that “we are just waiting to be killed in turns” was killed in a bombing. His fellow journalist took over to continue reporting, shaking with fear.
I play the melody of prayers, making it sound with wishes for everyone around the world living today, people of different races, religions, and ages, are happy at this moment in time.
I play because I am a violinist.
Please, please stop fighting, and stop killing each other, stop the hatred.
May the world be full of love…