Let the Christmas spirit flavour the election and beyond

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

For the rest of the Christmas season, throughout the duration of the general election and beyond, Jamaicans can improve their lives by living the motto: Love thy neighbour.

This is a core tenet of the Christian religion. Unfortunately, this dictum is misinterpreted to mean that you should 'like' your neighbour. This can sometimes be hard to do or may even be impossible regardless of the effort that we make. But if we understand these three words and live them every day it would make the world a better place for all. Indeed, it would be a wonderful world.

Love is the ability to give to others without the thought of getting back. There are different types of love, eg romantic love, which is different from the love of family and different from love of country. What is common to all types of love, however, is unselfish action which can take the form of giving, which is the quality of being compassionate.

To love thy neighbour means to be compassionate to your neighbour. This compassion means tolerance and respect for your neighbour regardless of differences in religion, class, colour, ethnicity, income level, education, nationality or political affiliation. You do not have to even like your neighbour but give to them the respect and tolerance that you would expect and desire from them.

Compassion goes beyond harmonious co-existence to a capacity and willingness to assist those of us who are less fortunate, not just at Christmas time but for 365 days of the year. It is very commendable to give to churches, charities and the Salvation Army, but do not let this prevent you from taking a few moments to extend small acts of kindness to total strangers.

A small act of kindness which cost you nothing can change a life or save a life, and the good you do will come back to you.

Treat everyone as your neighbour, not just the people who live with you or next to you, but those who live in your community, those at your workplace, at church, at school, in the village, in the district, on your sports team, in your constituency, in your parish and, most of all, in your nation, Jamaica.

Yes, we can all give something, no matter our financial situation. It is not only money that can be given. Perhaps more important it is taking time to exercise care and consideration to anyone in need of help, especially the aged, children and the handicapped.

Let nobody be hungry, let nobody be beaten and let nobody be cursed. Respect the humanity of all and acknowledge the rights of all. It is the spirit of Christmas itself and we can take this into all our activities going forward, especially into the election campaign.

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COMMENTS (2)

Beresford Davidson
12/27/2011

Christmas and new year? Every man get a 'change' and a little piece of work! Not so in America! Nutten nah gwaan aun yah! Obama is brilliant and decent but his detractors exposed themselves to be everything otherwise of excellence and decency. As an old Republican, I am not pleased from what I am observing on TV over-yah! My British conservatives are another group talking bout buggery laws and all that damn bad habit and nonsense, not, practiced only by the mentally retarded appearing to be sane

2kool .
12/27/2011

So many of our past reggae songs and artistes have been expressing the same things. Unfortunately for today's youth they are not being played on our airwaves anymore. What a pity!

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Let the Christmas spirit flavour the election and beyond