Banjul — There is no doubt that without compassion this world would be a hard and very lonely place to live in. The spirit of compassion gets all of us connected; thus hard and difficult times become much more easier, because people understand and care about the welfare of others.

Compassion and generosity are two virtues that shared a lot in common as far as humanity is concerned.When one is generous, his or her actions automatically touches other peopleÂ's hearts, which to a great extent spur them to become generous and this circle keeps moving till every one has more of what they need.

Without generosity, the world would be a very sad place. People who need help will feel like beggars without any sense of pride and dignity. Living in a world without generosity, every gift will have a string attached and for that matter every gift will come with conditions that would enable the giver to gain something and to manipulate things for his/her own advantage,which runs contrary to the spirit and purpose of giving out for the shake of charity.

The Gambian leader, President Jammeh's annual Eid-Ul- Adha (Tobaski) message conveyed to the nation, is indeed heart touching and inspiring. His statement conveyed a message of peace, unity and prosperity as well as the need for people to be helpful, compassionate and generous to each other at all times, especially in this current global ecenomic meltdown characterised by high price of goods and services. The theme is indeed befitting considering the celebration of the Muslim feast of Tobaski, which requires Muslims to extend helping hand to one another so as to enable everyone to live and enjoy the feast as in line with the teachings of the Islamic religion.

He also made mentioned of the need for Gambians to nurture and inculcate the spirit of peace, love and unity in themselves and their children as part of efforts geared towards achieving the much needed universal peace and unity. The most striking aspect of his message was on the clarion call, enjoining Gambians and non alike to be helpful and compassionate to their brothers, sisters, families and the vulnerable as the country belongs to all of us.

The Islamic religion enjoins everyone to be helpful, compassionate and generous to fellow human beings when-ever the need arises with specific mentioned of holy periods like Ramadan and feasts like Tobaski and Eid-Ul-Fitr (Koriteh). It emphases the need for the rich to help the poor and the vulnerable in our midst. We have heard and read the life and teachings of the Holy Prophet of Islam, his book as well as his disciples.

The Gambian leaderÂ's message came at the right time considering the state of affairs in the world. We are living in a world described as global village where event in one part of it has direct impact on others.

It is true that there cannot be any sustainable development in the country in the absence of peace and unity. Peace is catalyst for any meaninigful development. Gambians must be seen united, in harmony and in peace for progress and prosperity. No outsider will come and develop the country for us. It is our collective responsibility to do all it takes to make the coutry what aspires to be. Developed countries are built by their citizens out of commitment and partriotism.