Christmas is a good time to reflect on how we want to live our lives. The messages we have been hearing from the world are as loud as they are disturbing:
We are the greatest, no one can be better than us.
We have the most powerful weapons and the mightiest soldiers; you all must submit to us.
No one is allowed to threaten our security; we will strike first and destroy you.
We will do whatever we can to protect our vital interests; we don’t care about yours.
Don’t bring your problems to us; we don’t care that you are starving, sick and dying.
It is your own fault that you are poor; we are not responsible and we don’t want to have anything to do with that.
We only care that we are rich and comfortable; the rest of the world can go to hell.
We are always right; don’t you dare badmouth us with your criticism.
We can take this land because it is now un-occupied; it does not matter that it was us who killed the people living on it to begin with.
We own this place because our people live here now; it does not matter that we moved our people here to overwhelm the local population.
Essentially, people adore power, and look after themselves only; all others be damned. It ignores the fact that one cannot prosper alone. If others sharing this world continue to suffer, eventually the rich and powerful cannot avoid being affected. A war-torn, poor, unstable country generates desperate refugees, who then de-stablize the rest of the world. Walls cannot keep out people who are truly desperate. If everyone fights to be number one, the defeated will not rest until they avenge their defeat; then the newly defeated will seek revenge, …, ad infinitum. No one will get any rest. Christmas, on the other hand, sends a different message. It is about kindness, compassion, faith, hope and joy.
We love because we have been loved.
Blessing others reminds ourselves that we are blessed.
We share because it is rewarding.
We help because it feels good to see others getting better.
Temporarily we may feel diminished, but in the long run we also benefit from a better world.
Kindness rebounds even more than hatred.
It is creative to he hopeful while cynicism destroys.
Love attracts true friendship, the right kind of friends.
Joy comes from inside; it does not depend on putting other people down.
Faith gives us the strength to persevere.
Selfishness may be temporarily satisfying; but ultimately it destroys everyone, ourselves included. Pray that God gives us the wisdom to choose wisely and the strength to persevere.
No comments:
Post a Comment