A Moment of Peace

Norman Vincent Peale once said, “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”
In 1914 the world was engaged in a bitter war, friends became enemies, countries were divided, and thousands lost their lives, for months this bloody war ensued and families prayed for their loved ones and soldiers longed for a moment of peace, such peace seemed to be just an illusion. On December 7, 1914, Pope Benedict XV appealed to the warring countries to have a temporary cease-fire as Christmas was approaching, sadly the countries refused to adhere to this appeal, however, December 24th 1914 will forever be etched in the pages of history as on Christmas eve the soldiers who were in open mortal combat laid down their arms and united in song, on Christmas morning the soldiers met face to face on the battlefield, not for war but to greet each other in love, exchange gifts and play a few games, and for a few hours the soldiers who lost friends, colleagues and was fighting a war which none of them started experienced a moment of peace. On December 25th every year, millions of people around the world experience a moment of peace, this experience leaves a taste of what peace can look like and feel like in a world of war, violence, hatred, racism, social exclusion, selfishness and chaos. During this time all barriers are removed, hatred ceases and for a few moments Jews and Muslims unite, blacks and whites join in harmony, and love is understood in any language.

It does not matter whether you are Catholic, Anglican, or an atheist and the separation of class is non-existent for a few hours, as during the month of December an infectious spirit takes the world by storm and all barriers are broken down, hatred ceases, and for a few hours on Christmas day unity and peace reigns across the globe. Men work for months to achieve peace in war-torn areas and it only takes a few hours for this to be realised because of Christmas day. Leading up to December 25, people are literally transformed into mediums of positivity and hope and they would fill even the gloomiest room with praise, hope, love and peace. Everywhere you cast your eyes and ears the splendour of Christmas is seen and heard, lights are craftily designed and a pauper’s house looks like a palace and he feels like a king for his despair turns to hope, hunger takes a back seat as strangers share grocery items in abundance and together with his family they can eat to their hearts content and the children smile away their pain which unfortunately reality opens a few days later. For many whose home have been the cold isolation of a hospital bed for months are revived by the spirit of Christmas, and their hearts leap for joy as they are visited by angels in the form of men and they look upon faces which they may never see again however, they rejoice just to know that someone visited them, sparked a smile and showed compassion. As the infectious spirit of Christmas spreads across the world bringing with it peace, unity and reconciliation, looks of scorn and disdain towards the beggar on the street are now turned into smiles and a helping hand. The harsh boss is moved to compassion towards his employees after hearing about their plight, families work overtime to schedule family meetings and bonding time as if to make up for missed opportunities during the year.

Countries who hate each other extend greetings of peace and goodwill to all men and for a brief moment in time, space and eternity and people truly enjoy a moment of peace. In times of conflicts, chaos and wars we need moments of peace and someone or something must give this to the world even if it’s for a few hours.
Many wish Christmas was every day for the sole purpose of keeping the spirit of the season alive to permeate the atmosphere and to enjoy moments of peace. And while it is impossible to have the literal day and month every day as members of the human race we can make a conscious decision to keep faith, hope, love, peace, charity and empathy alive throughout the year. It should not take the leading up to the celebration of Christmas to move us to act to help the hungry, clothe the naked, house the destitute and feed the poor, it should not take December 25 to move us to cease wars, break down barriers and cast down racism, and it should certainly not take the celebration of one day to motivate us to share our wealth with the disadvantaged among us. I will have to agree with Calvin Coolidge when he said “Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” May we demonstrate the Christmas spirit throughout the year and use December 25 as a grand celebration of acts of mercy demonstrated throughout the year.

While it is said that Christmas is for giving, that giving should be extended throughout the year as those whom we give to around Christmas time apart from our families, friends and employees are the strangers who survived violence, pain and poverty and social exclusion, to make it to Christmas day, sadly thousands never make it to December to be treated and pampered. I hope in the months of 2017 you may find or create opportunities to give moments of peace to those who need it and may the physical manifestation of empathy and love be demonstrated, for we all need moments of peace as we live harsh realities each day.
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.” - Dalai Lama