Christmas is mere days away. This week, the city is abuzz with throngs of people, particularly in the main shopping areas, fetching the ubiquitous black shopping bag, rolled-up rugs and vinyl for floors, Christmas trees, et al. For a little over a week as well, the seasonal parties feting seniors, children and the less fortunate have been ongoing, as has been the giving to charitable organisations.
The volume of giving that occurs at this time of the year is extreme. It does not matter how many times or how loudly the cries of ‘business is bad,’ ‘times are hard,’ or ‘money is short’ would have been heard during the year, businesses and individuals alike, dig deep to give to those who would otherwise not have and who are so grateful that they never question the reason for giving, but should we? And if we asked the question whether the giving is a manifestation of goodwill or a means of assuaging consciences what would the answer be?
The scale of giving and receiving of tangible items has led to the commercialization of the season and there have long been calls for thoughtfulness in shopping, not promoting excess and as a result, waste, and for love, peace, kindness and caring to be paramount among the gifts given. The value of these latter mentioned gifts is high and while they cannot be exchanged at the department store, once given they can easily be shared and paid forward.
There are very many similar gifts that we can give and ask for which will ensure that we do our part in leaving the planet a better place than we found it.
The signs that our behaviours have put a strain on the planet abound in the form of climate change wrought by global warming. Intolerance has seen the discrimination against and stigmatization of groups of people based on their religion, sexual orientation and race. Patriarchy, hatred and the quest for political economic dominance have led to wars that have wiped out millions of innocent lives and left millions of others displaced and seeking refuge. And sadly in many places this is not freely given.
The problems in our own country, while a microcosm of the state of the world at large, are enough to have devastating and lasting impacts on the population. They include the less than judicious use of our natural resources, which continues to add to the damage of the environment. The ongoing stigmatization of people living with HIV to the extent that many are still afraid to access life-saving treatment and the ignorance that fuels the discrimination against lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender people are among these problems. There is also a lack of respect for the law and others, which engender traffic incidents, crime and violence of all sorts, including against children. There is, too, the tendency of those in authority to trample on the rights of people on the lower rungs of the ladder and to make decisions that are not in the best interest of the people they are obligated to serve.
While we give and receive this Christmas, let us not forget that physical gifts bring but temporary joy. The children receiving toys and food from benevolent ministers would be better off if their parents had jobs and could care for them, if they had access to quality education and better health care. Those who are motherless, surely would have preferred if their mothers had not been killed by their fathers or in crashes caused by drunk or careless drivers. The seniors in old folks’ homes might be wishing they had relatives or that their relatives cared enough to keep them at home. Because after the Christmas parties are over, if you check the lives of those we consider less fortunate, nothing would have changed. Let us not forget, therefore, that honour and justice are among the worthiest gifts we can give and receive.
