I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day

With the Christmas holidays drawing to a close, so ends the incredible surge of love and compassion that mankind seems to feel around this time of year. This odd influx of caring never ceases to amaze me, but the hopeful feeling it leaves is always tainted by shame. Why is it that we need a pine tree decorated with lights, and carols blasting at us for hearts to be inflamed with sympathy? Why is it that we need to hear the words, "Well, it's Christmas!" to prompt us to spend an afternoon in a soup kitchen peeling potatoes or donate to a charity? We know how fortunate we in North America are. We live in a fully developed country with readily available clean water. You, the reader of this blog, have access to a computer. Perhaps you are in a library, where you can educate yourself for free, or sitting comfortably in your safe home. We know that others are far less fortunate, so shouldn't we be this generous all year round? Why is it that most of us only open our eyes at Christmas?




In an uncomfortably similar way, much of the North American public turns a blind eye towards the fate of the citizens of Afghanistan and Pakistan. While we are aware that the reason our troops are in these countries is to protect civilians from the Taliban, we pass quickly over news of civilian deaths. Is it because we are ashamed that we cannot stop the deaths? Is it that so many of them occur that another car bomb or suicide bomber is old news? Or is it that many people do not consider the deaths of Afghan and Pakistani citizens to be as significant as those of American and Canadian soldiers?

Now, many of us would say unabashedly that this last point is, in fact, true. These are, after all, our countrymen dying - our boys - those brave souls who give their lives to protect others. They have families, and they have nations praying for them. But think about what you are saying - that any one life is worth more than another. The issue is not that the casualties are not being reported - they are. The issue is that they do not seem to be worth more than a sigh and a shake of the head, whereas a soldier's death generates much more of a response. Perhaps we would feel differently if we knew the civilians personally - but we should remember that they too are fighting a war, and with much less armour than our troops.

So, in the spirit of Christmas, click on the link below and read the brief article outlining the most recent of tragedies to befall Pakistan. Think of the families who have lost, think of what the men and women who died have given to their own country, and hope for a peaceful ending to this long war.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/01/01/pakistan-bomb-volleyball.html?ref=rss