This year I’m not asking for my usual Christmas wish of Peace on Earth and Good Will to Men. I’ve been asking for this for over 40 years and I’m still coming up short on the request.
This year I’m asking for Understanding, Prudence and Fear.
Understanding so that we understand the other person and they us. From understanding we can begin to solve our problems or at least minimize our conflicts.
Failing understanding, I want prudence, the gift that lets us ask about the outcome of our intended actions. Maybe then we will think more about the last drink for the road, planting an IED, or launching an attack. All of which would lead to a better world.
No one should live in fear, but maybe a little fear about the consequences of our actions might make us a little better off. Whether it’s building an IED, repeating a nasty story about your boss, or the decision to make your holiday money at gunpoint, a little fear about blowback might give you pause to try something else.
Christmas is a schizophrenic holiday.
For many it is the beginning of a cycle that celebrates an opportunity to connect with our God. For many of these same people it’s a time to indulge in lavish gifts and Dionysian bouts of eating and drinking. Economic factors have forced decisions on many people to celebrate the holidays in what they must only consider as unnatural restraint, while others ponder the crushing weight of bills due in January. And still there are those who choose to make the holidays a time to connect with friends and family.
Mix all these people together; add the uncertainty of the New Year, spice with enough snow and cold to make doing anything difficult, and you’ll understand why the holidays are so tense.
Despite all that, have a Merry Christmas, and don’t take anything too seriously. Nobody gets out of this world alive anyway.
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