Hope: The Stories We Were Once Told

All of us have heard stories of men and women, whose courage and determination have “moved mountains”. We heard of their triumphs in the name of justice, truth, peace, freedom, patriotism, religion and even love. We did not only hear the stories of Good vs. Evil, but we have also learned to differentiate Good from Evil.

Some of these stories were only fantasies, fairytales, the bedtime stories our parents used to read to us so that we were able to fall asleep or to simply educate us about different things and situations that we have faced or will eventually face. We read about and sometimes wished to become like the super heroes from the comic books we used to collect. We watched movies about great warriors and knights willing to sacrifice their lives in the name of God, their land or simply in the name of honor.

Religion teaches us about the prophets and their selflessness. Whether we are catholic, followers of Islam, Buddhists, or even non-believers, we have all learned, to an extent, about Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Buddha and their followers. The faith that guided them and many times required them to sacrifice everything that they possessed, including their lives.

Today, we still learn and we still teach about the great works of even greater men and women like Gandhi, Samora Machel, Amilcar Cabral, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Josina Machel, Che Guevara, Martin Luther King Jr., Eduardo Mondlane and Jose Rizal and the changes that resulted from their struggle against injustice, exploitation and discrimination. We keep their memories alive whether we call them heroes or mere idealists.

If we believe in these stories or not, if they are real or myth, if they were about men or women, if they had a “Shakespearean” style ending or if they “lived happily ever after”, it does NOT matter. The essence of it is what is important. The similarity between all of these stories hides itself behind the reason why we still read books to our children about heroes and about right and wrong, even when we think that we have stopped believing in them. It is behind the reason why we cry after reading some of the most beautiful love stories. The reason why we don’t mind reading some history books and “wasting” a few hours watching movies based on the lives of some of the most inspiring human beings that have ever lived. This purpose, this similarity, this reason, is what we simply call HOPE.

The hope to live a similar love story as the one that has made us cry. The hope that these bedtime stories will influence our sons and daughters to become great men and women when they grow up regardless of the pressure on them by the so called “real world” to push away any kind of idealist ambitions. The hope that more men and women will rise up and have the courage to continue and follow the works started by the leaders, who were responsible for some of the greatest social changes ever achieved. The hope to finally make the world a better place. A better world that has been written so much about but for now it keeps itself safe on pages of numerous inspiring books.

This was the same hope Timor-Leste represented during the struggle to restore its independence. We learn the stories about our heroes and their battles. We cry when hear about the tragic love stories that occurred during the war, and the stories of the bruises that will never heal. We talk about the great Nicolau Lobato and the ideals he died for. We keep the memories alive of those who taught us not just regarding our RIGHT to be free but about our NEED to be free as well. There is a need to keep what we call HOPE alive. Hope that our struggle could and still can inspire not only us, Timorese, but also show to the rest of the developing world that “the only impossibility is the lack of possibilities”.

All this is what keeps us believing. All this is what keeps us optimist when we look at the current situation of our beloved nation. It is what helps us understand that although we have defeated the colonial regime and the Indonesian illegal occupation, we still struggle to hold what is ours by right: freedom. It is what motivates us to face these present difficulties, with our heads high. To face the “horror” stories created by the corrupt, the deceiving and by the traitors.

A great friend sent me a quote by Samuel Johnson very recently, which said: “great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance”. And like many of the children of Timor-Leste, I will continue to persevere. I will persevere because I hope one day to tell the stories of our heroes. I hope one day to write the most unforgettable songs about the most beautiful Timorese love stories. I hope that one day, we will be able to make our own movies inspired on our struggle. Because I hope that one day I will be able to read bedtime stories to my children. The stories of the people, the places, the myths, the suffering and the triumphs. And before they fall asleep each night, they will know how this hope gave them not just the right to be called Timorese, but it also kept alive their right to be free.

By: Lukeno Alkatiri