Politically Incorrect 3 comments

It is that time of year again when we are all faced with the fear of offending someone by using the word 'Christmas' or some other word that is specific to a certain cultural or religious group. Over the years we have not only managed to lose the real meaning of Christmas, but we have managed to twist it into some kind of economic, materialistic shopping spree, and the time of the year that we end up getting so stressed with rushing around trying to find parking at the mall, and worrying about increasing debt to pay for the things we think we 'need' to buy, that most people dread the season.

It was bad enough that we lost the original meaning of Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all Mankind, but now local and regional governments, stores and others are working to erase the name and replace it with 'Holiday Tree' or 'Seasons Greetings'. A task force in Colorado recently recommended not using red and green lights, and removing ribbons from wreaths and stars from trees.

I know that most of these initiatives are germinated with the good intentions of embracing our multicultural backgrounds and to try to make things more fair for all cultures and religious beliefs (or lack thereof), but the end result is that none of us get the opportunity to enjoy the season, and end up uptight, stressed and certainly not closer to those whose beliefs are different from our own.

So - what should we do about it? Sit back and let this time of year slowly vanish along with message of goodwill that started over 2000 years ago?

I'm not ashamed to say that I am a Christian. I don't think you should be ashamed to say you are a Muslim, or a Jew, or a Buddhist either.

I know many people with lots of different beliefs - specifically Muslim and Jewish, and they don't have a problem with wishing me a Merry Christmas, any more than I enjoy learning about their culture and beliefs. In fact, we end up having meaningful dialog about what we believe, and while sometimes we may agree to disagree, more times than not, we are surprised that our core beliefs are not really that different.

I know there are fanatical Christians, Jews or Muslims who expound their beliefs as the only truth to the point of aggression toward others. I also know that 2000 years ago, Christianity started based on teaching tolerance and not judging others for how they act or what they believe.

I am being politically incorrect, and I think we need to be. If not, we all risk losing the real meaning of what we believe and the opportunity to influence others not by aggression or arguing, but by our own behaviour in helping others and being compassionate.

There will always be some people who are not happy because their own beliefs are not fairly represented by a store, or by their town. We should not try to 'be fair' to everyone, but rather let people express their own beliefs without fear of being 'politically incorrect'.

If a store owner really does not believe in Christmas, then don't sell Christmas trees at all - but please don't call them 'Holiday Trees' or 'Family Trees' just so you think you will please everyone and sell more.

If you want to make a difference this year, why not find someone with different beliefs and talk to them and share and learn about your differences and similiarities?

Why not expand both your understanding and your sphere of influence in a positive way?

Take the time to be thankful for what we have instead of complaining about the stress of rushing around. Take the time to do something for someone less fortunate, whether it be visiting someone in the hospital or old age home, or helping someone living on the street to get a hot meal or a warm blanket.

Stop being politically correct and start really getting to know your neighbours. Christmas is not about convincing people that you are right and they are wrong. It should be about sharing the good news that there is hope for Peace on Earth and Goodwill to ALL mankind.