Western Morning News (Saturday)
The most precious Christmas present is life
ARE you still in a panic about Christmas shopping? Still stuck for that perfect gift? I may have the answer. I’m aware, as I write this column, that it’s the last Saturday before Christmas, the last weekend to brave the crowds and get those extra presents. The need to buy them seems to supersede health warnings as people disregard distancing, masks even, to stock up on things that, at the end of the day, are not essential.
So what is the best present? I’ll tell you. The best present is that of good health, of life. That is the most precious gift any of us could have. And if you really care about loved ones, you’ll ensure that you give them the best chance of that gift – by staying well away from them. Have the courage to break with tradition. If it means sitting on your own for 48 hours with a pared down Christmas lunch, do it. Or would you rather eat drink and be merry and give a virus voucher to be redeemed in a few weeks?
Because you can’t have it both ways. It’s no good sticking your head in the sand for the days of the year you want to be fun and jolly, like times past. The Covid gift you might give on Christmas Day can’t be sent back if you don’t like it. It’s a gift you’ll be stuck with – might even get a certificate from the coroner as proof of it if things go badly wrong.
This Christmas, more than any other, should be a time for reflection. Why do we tend to take everything for granted? Why do we take our well-being for granted? And if you think that comment is flip, just look around in the shops today to see people wearing their “It will never happen to me” mindsets as they push through crowds. And why do we even take our existence for granted?
Isn’t it time to ask: “What is the meaning of all this”? Because at the moment I think human beings are being reckless, not remotely selfaware and almost on a collective suicide mission. It’s the first time in the history of humanity that all of us everywhere are whirling together in a cyclone of transformation.
And yet it seems to me that the only time people panic is when they’re thinking about themselves. That doesn’t help anyone. And it’s certainly not what Christmas is meant to be about. Giving people attention, affection, appreciation and acceptance makes us all feel better, motivates us to do more for our loved ones. It doesn’t have to come in a box, gift wrapped.
The virus has affected everyone either physically, mentally and/or spiritually. We hear much about the first two aspects, but very little about the third – and this, the connection to the Divine - is the bedrock of our survival. You don’t have to have formalised religion to have this connection either.
No, we neglect our spiritual wellbeing, an aspect alien to many people’s daily lives. The presence and the threat of death evokes concerns about the state of our souls for many, but we do nothing about it. Our souls are sick. The decline of organized belief structures brings with it a weariness of heart, existential dread, a sinking feeling that nothing really matters. The breakdown of ethical and moral reasoning in our society creates a yearning to be connected to the Divine. There’s a truth in St John’s gospel which says “Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going”. Many of us seem to be stumbling around like that today.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Christmas time should remind us of the most precious gift we’ve all been given. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” ( John 3:16).
That’s the gift we need to look for this Christmas. What’s more, it’s free, no sell-by date. “If you don’t go within you go without” says the Buddha. How? You might ask. Well, the power of prayer is all powerful. Talk with - not to, your creator. Meditate, open your hearts and minds and try and see and take strength from the world of nature. Go for a walk, spend time looking at the night sky, anything to help you detach from the material world. All of us have the most wonderful gift waiting for us. And all we have to do is dig around a bit, unwrap it and find one of the best Christmas presents ever.
We need, all of us, at this Christmas time, to look at those around us with new eyes. Make sure we do everything in our power to keep them safe, loved, secure and not risk destroying those who are most precious to us because of a date on a calendar.
Put celebrations with them on hold until it’s safe to do so. Instead try and find true Peace and reflect on the meaning of what Christmas is really all about. What better present could there be?
The virus has affected everyone either mentally, physically or spiritually