Christmas Thoughts

I love Christmas. I love the music, the food, the trees, the opportunity to see friends who are home just for the holidays, and the traditions. It’s so great to give presents to friends and family, and to spend time eating, laughing and visiting together. I also find Christmas to have some stress mixed in with the fun though. It can be stressful to find good gifts for the many people on my list, and to get wrapping and card writing done in time. Then getting to all the parties and gatherings can even get a bit hairy. After New Year’s, I will feel poor, and overweight.

Christmas is a time when we value the important things in life, such as family, friendship, peace, love, joy, generosity, and for some of us, the nativity story. Unfortunately, we also spend a lot of time thinking about much less important things at Christmas too, such as ornaments, house wares, electronics, clothing, and toys. Of all the things I bought others for Christmas, and the things I received, how many were items that any of us needed? Let me list a few items: a hand bag, candles, hobby supplies, DVDs, CDs, framed photographs, calendars, a hand held mixer, pyjama pants, pot holders, puzzles, socks, books, electronic memory, and chocolates. Many of these were great presents, but not essential. The watch strap and the black trouser socks I asked for are important for my particular work environment, but not for my general survival. We start taking our decadent lifestyle for granted in North America, and this results in feeling that we need things that we really don’t. For example, yesterday, my boyfriend and I were considering what to go shopping for in the Boxing Day Sales. He said that of the things I had wanted for Christmas, the second thing I needed most was a memory card for my camera. My current card holds only 16MB, which takes 16 default-size pictures. I agreed that I wanted a bigger card, but it was hardly a necessity. Photography in general is a luxury item, never mind updated technology. When I compare what I have to other people, I think that I need more, but when I compare what I have to my concept of say, life in Uganda, or Nicaragua, I have more than plenty.

Most of my friends agree that Christmas is too commercial, but oddly enough, none of us really do anything about it. I hate the malls and all they represent, but I still want to give my friends something more tangible than my time to express my affection for them. Ideally, I would make all the presents I give, but I would need more time and talent for that, and I would still have to buy all the supplies for the presents. I made a few gifts this year, and I think I will make a bigger effort to do more of that next year. One aspect of Christmas that I don’t keep up with is decorations. I have some old wreaths from an aunt that I put around my flat, and I have a tree, but I have no outdoor lights. Lights are pretty, but they are a misuse of electricity to me, and they aren’t related to the people, love, joy or peace that I value at Christmas, so I choose not to conform in that way at this point in my life.

This year I have tried to be more mindful of the little moments of the season. I don’t want to be stressed as I prepare for a gathering, or try to get cards addressed. I want to focus on joy of the holidays, and the people that I have the chance to spend time with. When I find myself feeling hassled about something, I slow down, think about how great it is that it’s Christmastime, and then I smile, and keep going. I hope that you and yours are having a peace- and joy-filled holiday.

Violence Against Humans

Today is the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. In 1989, a man killed 14 women at Ecole Polytechnique. He blamed women for many of his problems in life, including the fact that he had not been accepted into engineering. In our grief about the event, Canadians reacted against violence upon women in general.

December 6^th is all the anniversary of the Halifax Explosion, in 1917. It was the biggest explosion ever, until the arrival of the atomic bomb. The incident was caused by two ships colliding in the Halifax Harbour. Around two thousand people died, and nine thousand were injured or maimed. Much of the city, especially the North End was destroyed. While it was an accident, it can be considered an indirect result of WWI. Canada was spared the horror of the world wars, but this one event gave us a taste of the desolation of the war.

Today seems like an appropriate day to think about violence. Acts committed by individuals and acts carried out by militaries on the behalf of states are all devastating. In Halifax we are making efforts to educate students about abuse in relationships, as well as bullying and other forms of violence. On the global front there are often peace talks. Canada is a big defender of civil rights, and we have been famous for our peacekeeping efforts abroad. These sorts of strategies are good, but I think that they will not eradicate the problem.

We say that violence is wrong, but we don’t really believe it. Violence is actually valued in our popular culture. Last night I watched eight movie previews. Of the eight, five were overtly violent. One of those was a children’s movie, but it had a lot of slapstick slapping, hitting and crashing. Of the non-violent movies, Bobby ends with an assassination. Two of the violent movies were serial-killer stories. These movies are made because people will pay to see them. To some degree violence is equated with power. Brute force is a more tangible form of power to our society than intelligence or respect through social connections.

The value we place on violence is evident in our entertainment media, and perhaps we would find it evident in our language and behavioural patterns too, if we took the time to examine it. What messages are we exchanging? What messages are we sending to the next generation? If we want to stop abuse in our homes and neighbourhoods; if we want the nations of the world to stop fighting, then we have to change the way we view violence in small everyday ways.

Good News For the Earth and AIr

Brazil announced today that they will protect a huge chunk of the rainforest. This newly protected portion is about 37 million acres. It will be the biggest rainforest reserve in the world. This will help to preserve important species of plants and animals including the northern bearded saki monkey, the jaguar, the giant anteater, and the giant otter. The area is apparently the home to just less than 20% of the world’s fresh water. Rainforests also do their part in the fight against global warming, by consuming carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

I am excited about this news, and also relieved that high-tech satellites will be monitoring the area to ensure that the new laws are observed. Unfortunately, three million additional acres were hoped to be included in the new laws, and there was an injunction on that section. Thirty seven million acres is still a very impressive effort on the part of the Brazillian government.

Public Pressure Pays Off

In August, Prime Minister Stephen Harper did not attend the World Aids Conference in Toronto, nor was his government represented in any way. Organizations were loudly critical of his lack of interest. Yesterday, on World AIDS Day, the Harper government finally acknowledged the planet’s AIDS crisis. International Co-operation Minister Josee Verner announced that Canada will give $120 million to the global fight against AIDS. They chose a few directions to funnel the money. Twenty million dollars will go to vaccine research, and $19 million to Haiti and Canadian agencies for prevention programs. Tanzania will receive $20 million for it’s HIV/AIDS plan, while McGill University will receive $2.5 million for research into preventing parent-child transmission in Zimbabwe.

Yesterday’s announcement is great news, but there is still more to be done. The generic AIDS medication promised to Africa years ago has still not left the country, for one thing. A hundred and twenty million dollars is good, but it is only a drop in the bucket.

Harper seemed distinctly unsympathetic to AIDS victims less than four months ago, but now he has changed his tune somewhat. I am sure that public outcry over his silence in August is a big factor in yesterday’s AIDS funding. The Conservatives are, well, extremely conservative, but they must respond to the majority of the people, or they will lose their power. This is especially true with a minority government like this one. Whatever your political concerns, it is always worthwhile to express them. We must continue to voice our opinions until the government is forced to act.