As we take a break from the rough and tumble of our daily lives to observe Christmas, it is perhaps a good time for sober reflection on where we have been as a community and a sovereign State. The birth of Jesus signifies something defining in the consciousness of both believers and non-believers. From a purely religious standpoint it is a moment that heralds the coming of a force to save the world from its sins—a sort of redemption. And from a much broader social perspective it is a moment pregnant with hope for a better social order. It is the latter that makes Christmas a universal moment that cuts across religious belief and affiliation.
As we gather as families and communities to give and share and to celebrate, the symbolism of those acts should not be lost on us. So, eat, drink and be merry, but spare a moment to think about the true meaning of Christmas. Take some time to reflect on the human side of our existence. The question is always—what it is to be human and to exist a state of Love. After all the coming of Jesus Christ was above all a promise of Love—to summon mankind to return to its original covenant.
Guyana has existed in a permanent state of un-love; always reaching for that which furthers the ugly side of our being. As Bob Marley asks: “Where is the Love to be found?’ If love means living in a state of tolerance and understanding of the beauty of diversity, then Guyana has some way to go along the path that was signaled by the birth of Jesus. Somewhere out there our sweet Love is to be found, but we as a people must have eyes for it. Without a collective consciousness of our common humanity, Love will be forever elusive.
So, as we reflect on the significance of Christmas, this publication urges that we reach beyond our fragility and ask questions of ourselves as a nation. Have we tried as hard as we should to understand our common humanity? Have we not been too guilty of defining our nationhood in pragmatic rather than in more profound terms? Are we doomed to an existence of surface without essence? Where is the link between our faith and our fate? Have we not been too ready to exclude and otherise? As we close our eyes and worship our gods, have we not been guilty of betraying the Jesus moment?
The honest answers to those questions should jolt our nation to check itself. Jesus walked the path of a Love based on justice for all the world’s children. The marks of equality and fairness guided his tireless advocacy. He scorned injustice of all types and shades and trampled upon that which suffocated Love. He constantly reached for the human in our being. For him, his life was worth living only if he cleansed the world of un-love.
We cannot end without urging those with plenty to share with the needy. It is the supreme act of Love. Our economic promise of plenty has not touched the face of poverty. Our local content seems contented with a content for the privileged in our midst. The prices of food in the Christmas economy are not a reflection of what the birth of Jesus signified. As we marketise Christmas, spare a thought for the victims—those without means.
Despite the angst, do have a Merry Christmas.
