My Christmas wish list

There has never been in my lifetime such a threat to the well-being and the security of the world.

The recent attack in Berlin at a Christmas market suggests that peace is something that we really must yearn for, both on an international level and on the domestic front and it is a wish that transcends religious belief and affiliation.

So I wish all my readers lasting peace and goodwill.

Maybe peace will come when we see beyond ourselves and understand that we are made up of interconnections.

These are links that are forged by what has happened in the past, sometimes over generations. But they are also the connections between people and our interactions with them. That might lead to a feeling of gratitude and a sense of the bounty rather than the problems that face us.

Someone suggested recently that we should write down all the good things as they occur to us so that at year’s end, when we set out to make new-year resolutions, we actually see the good rather than the bad. It is so easy to be overwhelmed by the negative.

The second item on my list then would be a sense of gratitude for everything that has made us what we are.

That means in the true spirit of Christmas that we think in terms of how we can give back to our families and communities, rather than thinking of what we can get for ourselves.

Giving is something that is truly difficult since it seems written into human DNA that when we give we expect something back in return.

The story of Christmas points to the fact that Christianity is about giving to those who have little and who may never be able to return the favour.

As a story it places those who are homeless, those who are travellers and refugees in the centre of the stage. At no other time in recent world history has this story of a family looking for shelter been so relevant.

But more than any thing else the Christmas story speaks to our vulnerability as humans, since no matter how intelligent or how rich and how powerful, we may all find ourselves in need of someone’s generosity and indeed hospitality.

In particular it speaks to our attention to the weak and the marginalised and to those who appear powerless. This is so if only because in this uncertain and changing world, with irrational wars and atrocities, the images of those who are uprooted and helpless seem so apparent.

If Christmas means anything, it also calls us to recognise our relationships as human flesh and blood people, and the importance of sustaining them, which is why we send greetings to people we hardly think about or contact during the year.

This as an idea has become more important as increasingly in this digital era of swift interconnectivity the need for real connections intensifies.

How much must the lonely yearn to hear a voice or have someone touch their hands rather than see a text message or an email or a Facebook greeting? Loneliness is probably the biggest scourge of this 21st century.

So my biggest wish is that we share ourselves this Christmas and make the year to come one that is filled with compassion for those who may be in need of some human contact or solace.

But giving of ourselves also means thinking about how the actions of any one person or group affect others and how our lives hit off each other.

Unlike previous generations for whom individualism was a governing concern, in this age we need to think of how our lives flow into each other. It has become a small world indeed.

Amidst all the trappings and the trimmings the family gatherings and the nostalgia the Chr i s tmas m e s s a g e finally is surely that we wish others what we wish for ours elves .

So peace, joy and happiness to all.