Nobody could be faulted for having trouble finding signs of peace on Earth, something that’s cherished as a hallmark of Christmas.
Troops have been ordered home from battle-scarred Syria, but the tumult over that foreign-policy directive has stirred political storms by itself. And if uncertainty over the nation’s defense posture doesn’t unsettle people, perhaps the upheaval of the stock market has produced even more potent concerns about real pocketbook issues.
At the local level, too, this has been a difficult year, marked by natural disasters, from flooding to volcanic lava flows, unsettling thousands.
Even so, the holidays usher in a season of hope; for Christians, especially, it is a celebration of the birth of Jesus. But many non-Christians also find this a bright spot in the final dark weeks of the calendar year, a time for rich religious and cultural observances as well as the simple secular Yuletide pleasures, delights for children, life-affirming color and music for all.
It is a time to seek out family and friends and to remember that they are at the heart of a happy life. They deserve that kind of attention and focus, this day and many other times throughout the year.
Most importantly, they represent the part of the world over which all of us have the most influence. The perception of global forces spinning out of control is disconcerting but illusory. This time of year, in fact, provides more of an opportunity to soften life’s hard edges, at least within our own circles.
And it presents a call to action to reach beyond those circles with charitable works. The dreadful headlines and images from Yemen and other places of intense strife — not to mention the ongoing news of suffering among Hawaii’s homeless — do serve as a reminder of how much help is needed.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser partners with Helping Hands Hawaii to marshal donations every holiday season through its Good Neighbor Fund, which will remain active through the end of the year.
About 775 families are participating this year in the Adopt A Family project, and have received help through these donations. Details appear at helpinghandshawaii.org (the ways to give are linked under the “Donate” heading).
There are myriad ways to help, of course: A search for “Christmas charities” yields more than enough suggestions. And not all kindnesses involve money. A simple show of aloha — donated goods, perhaps, or even a smile to someone living on the street — can be more healing than one imagines.
Simplicity is one of the often overlooked attributes of Christmas, which many see as swamped by commercialism. Look beneath that veneer of cash and materialism for the pure joy of giving for its own sake, the sweetness of caroling, the love of family. That is where peace on Earth resides.
