Sorry, but I am here to disrupt the Christmas party
The seasonal commemoration of what is arguably the single most significant event of all creation is here all over again, and all and sundry are set to receive too much of everything as usual.
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The police have assured everyone of increased public protection and vowed to do fierce battle with violent and armed criminals on the loose this Christmas. Why do the police have to wait until Christmas to give the public that level of protection against criminals?
All of a sudden, people are going to be the very lucky recipients of so much love and goodwill. All the kind, caring and overly generous people who have remained invisible all year round or rather since the last Christmas, will suddenly materialise in the flesh with so much on generous offer for the underprivileged and the poor.
They will fall into one big parade of benevolent and caring do-gooders, tripping over each other to ‘put a smile’ on the faces of the poor, sick, desperately needy, orphans and the disabled. These will receive generous donations of food, clothing and other gifts. Some will even be treated to some real partying.
Why wait for Chrismas?
Imagine society having the power to put smiles on the perpetually glum and grim countenances of those suffering from the distressing conditions of sickness, want and worry, and yet withholding the exercise of that power until Christmas Day!
Oh yes, for many, there is always too much of everything: Massive quantities of all manner of goods and consumables will as usual be carted away from shops, stores, supermarkets and our traditional marketplaces for what often turns out to be for many, a festive 48-hour celebration and not much more.
Mountains of food will be wolfed down and the lot washed further down millions of digestive tracts by oceans of booze and non-alcoholic drinks. All genres of music will compete and clash at a thousand decibels for rhythm and pitch, and drown out all the carols {The one that knocks me out cold is “Once in Royal David’s City”}.
Oh yes, people will suddenly become more God-conscious, kind, pleasant and exceptionally nice to others. Let us repeat the question: Why can’t people be nice to each other and generous to the needy every day? Why must they wait till Christmas?
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When the Christmas decorations have been lowered in homes, offices and shops and put away, your neighbour is supposed to mind his own business and you, yours. The poor, hungry and underprivileged can go and fend for themselves as best as they can under the nagging vagaries of economic hardship and bide their time till the next Christmas. A bit of waiting won’t kill them.
Return to old ways
Just wait till the first week of January, and all the kind, caring and pleasant people we see at Christmas are usually nowhere in evidence. We would have returned to our old vindictive, selfish, uncaring selves, prone to treating other people badly, as we greedily pursue our selfish interests.
Wait a minute though: That the world celebrates Christmas with such enduring fervour can only mean that it attaches so much importance to the birth and teachings of Jesus, does it not?
If that is indeed the case, why do people not travel the whole distance with Jesus as far as his teachings regarding works of kindness and love of neighbour {including that impossible fellow you would rather call anything but That}are concerned ? Jesus did not teach that love of neighbour and support for the poor and underprivileged should be practiced for only one day in a whole year, did he?
Effect of christmas hypocrisy on children
There is the issue about children: It is uncertain what psychological effect the hypocrisy at Christmas is having on them. Children are acutely discerning of what they see and hear in their immediate environment. At Christmas, many of them are usually no doubt amazed to see adults around them-parents, guardians, family friends and others-suddenly become friendly towards people they have been badmouthing, backbiting and insulting to the hearing of the children!
Maybe at Christmas, the most discerning among the young ones get to understand the ways of this world, that for many people, life is all about putting on one great act and living a respectable lie of apparent goodness.
Someone I talked to about all these declared that I was suffering from an advanced stage of acute hyper-cynicism. She said there were many genuinely nice and caring people in society who are not putting on the grand old act when they show goodwill to all at Christmas. They catch the profoundly mystical and magical mood of the season, and are thus often sincere in their generosity and goodwill to all.
When I made an observation to the effect that many people also pretend to be happy at Christmas, she insisted that many people were genuinely happy at Christmas because they were inspired and given the great, joyful hope of salvation by the coming of Jesus to earth. They were also often happy because they are able to gather for unions and reunions of family and friends, she said.
I said to her, “alright, alright, you may be right after all, but why should they be of great cheer and goodwill only at Christmas?” She shrugged that one off, whereupon, I insisted that every day ought to be a Christmas Day.
Excessive pleasure and commercial profit
The daily observance of Christmas needs not be the very expensive celebration imposed on us by those who have hijacked the celebration for excessive pleasure and commercial profit.
Celebrating Christ's birth has become expensive only because the profit-motivated agents of mass consumerism have imposed values on the Christmas celebration, which demand that people overspend on items they do not need.
The values imposed on Christmas demand that we buy expensive gifts for children and other relations, overeat, overdrink and overdo so many other things.
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The rich are probably often only too happy for an opportunity to spend, but others of far more modest means are often trapped in the orgy of overspending only because they must move along with the rest of society. Come the New Year and there is always hell with a capital “H” to pay!
The challenge is to rediscover Christmas in its deepest meaning and essence by making it a 365-day celebration every year, minus the excessive indulgence and booze-fuelled orgies of course. Consider what a much better world it would be if the spirit of Christmas Day prevailed throughout the year! Merry Christmas.
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