Most Guyanese, regardless of race, colour or creed, celebrate Christmas. Admittedly, some of us sometimes lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas and its deep spiritual significance for Christians, choosing instead to celebrate the holiday in a decidedly more secular manner. Nevertheless, for most of us, even those who are Hindus, Muslims, agnostics or atheists, there can be no denying the fact that Christmas is verily a season of goodwill, good cheer and festivity. Indeed, it is a time for casting aside, if only for a short while, our trials and tribulations and our concerns about the unrelenting grind of life and its daily challenges. Thus, the joy of Christmas, in Guyana as in most parts of the Western world, can provoke feelings of release, catharsis even, as much as it is a time for reflection, reaching out, embracing, giving, peace and love.
Let us therefore, in the spirit of Christmas, put aside carping and criticism, eschew contumely, and reflect, as we make merry today with family and friends, on what brings and binds us together. Let us pause for a moment to consider the happiness we feel, beyond the fuzzy warmth of too much good food and, in some cases, too much strong drink. As we delight in our children’s joy and the laughter and the fellowship of adults, as we raise a toast to absent friends and relatives, separated by the miles and the seas, as we shed a tear for loved ones who are no longer with us, let us also spare a kind thought for those who are still in mourning or those who must endure less fortunate circumstances.
Let us try to emulate the true spirit of giving, giving of ourselves as selflessly as Mark Ross, who in ‘Christmas gifts… What the people say’ (SN, December 21), told us that he would be working with a volunteering organisation to give books to children, cooking Guyanese food for his Japanese boss and giving blood, “the gift of life,” this Christmas. Need we look further for the spirit of Christmas, which after all, commemorates the birth of Christ, God’s gift to mankind?
Even though Christmas comes but once a year, let us try to keep the spirit of Christmas with us throughout the year, shorn of its crass commercialism and simply kept alive with a spirit of generosity, if not love, towards others. Let us look for all that is good in others and strive to make ourselves better relatives, friends and citizens.
Let us remember that life is too short for us to be consumed with hate, and hate requires too much negative energy. Of course, life is not perfect. Then again, even though it may not be tied with a bow, life is still a gift to be cherished.
Pain and suffering, on the other hand, will never go away; they are part of the human condition. But they do not have to be self-inflicted. Arguments and disagreements, for instance, will inevitably arise, but let us keep them civil and let us respect the right of others to hold differing views. We do not have to win every argument and we can always agree to disagree. And for those of us who carry around the baggage of the past, let us bear in mind that it is weighing down our present and will make our future unbearable.
Let us then acknowledge our individual errors and failings, even as we recognize that we can put them behind us and strive to do better for those we love and for ourselves. Let us also remember that however bad a situation is, it can change, but a lot will depend on what we do to make that change happen. Let us therefore strive for inner peace on which the general peace is so dependent.
In so doing, as we celebrate this Christmas, at home and in the diaspora, let us reflect on our unique Guyanese heritage and on our common humanity, and let us think about all that makes us strong. Finally, let us realise the boundless potential of ourselves, as we strive to improve our individual lot and that of our country.
That would be a wonderful Christmas gift to ourselves, wouldn’t it? Happy Christmas, Guyana!
