Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

Regardless of your religious background this time of year it is filled with holidays celebrated by creeds, philosophies, cultures and religions since the beginning of time. Whether it was a phase of the moon or a die-off of a significant animal species, mankind has attempted to make sense of things. Those ‘things’ were often deep philosophical questions and puzzles no answers appeared ready at hand. So myths and magic were created to fill the voids of comprehension.

Around those myths and magic were formed belief systems and accompanying rites.

America has an overwhelming history of Christianity among its people and thus Christmas is a predominant period of celebration. But Judaism and Islam have significant dates of celebration at this same time of year, as do other religious belief systems.

So Happy Holidays is as good a greeting today as anything else.

Regardless of which you prefer, these are not happy times. There is too much poverty, sickness, violence and suffering the world over to truly celebrate good times. These are not good times. These are bad times. If you doubt this, leave your familiar haunts for a few hours and observe the world from the perspective of many people who are in deep trouble. See their world first hand. Understand their suffering and fear.

Syrians? Libyans? Egyptians? Israelites? Africans from many nations – Somalia, Chad, Cameroon, so many more to choose among – and nations from South America, too, and Central America where drug cartels and power hungry despots run amok in their lands. Asians in far flung communities from the Steppes to Mongolia and the frozen wastes of Siberia. What of the Malaysian villages laboring for medical and dietary assistance? And what of the scourge of violence against minorities and women that occur daily throughout many of the nations of the globe?

Are you truly aware of how life is lived in places not in Europe or America? Do you understand the troubles experienced elsewhere? Or do you turn your face from these realities, and go to yet another party at this time of year?

Yes, there are communities in America where such travails also exist – hunger, starvation, illness, death, violence, poverty, illiteracy – all within the borders of America. We have much to be thankful for, but also ashamed of. We do not take good and proper care of our fellow citizens. We say we do but most of us do not know what the actual statistics are. We shy away from such bad news reports. We prefer to see life through rose-colored glasses. We ignore the bad and face the pretty and move on to live the rest of our lives.

Until, that is, when a reckoning is needed. Entire villages and cities collapse under the weight of bad policies and poverty. Crime and decay claim such cities as Detroit in states like Michigan, as well as cities in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. Back water towns and villages or larger cities, they are rotting into the compost heap of history. All because of neglect. People too interested in themselves rather than others. Greed obscuring their vision and their feelings, they care not for those less fortunate and the scourge continues its inevitable course towards an abyss too large to fathom.

I don’t expect many churches to respond to the call of those less fortunate. They see their own unfortunates among their congregations. They have their hands full. Whatever will they do? And will it be enough?

If governments like that found in America forfeit their responsibilities to the less fortunate, what will happen to the promise and hope of the founding fathers of America?

For those celebrating the win of Donald Trump, there are more of us shuddering at the loss of America’s sole and conscience. We see the abyss coming closer every day and wonder who will stand up for those unable to do anything?

Is this what it felt like to be a passenger on the Titanic?

Happy Holidays? I think not. The times are too pressing to celebrate at this moment.

December 22, 2016