Life and Time

At this time of the year, on this Holiday, we are exhorted to be joyous, and joyous many of us are, often to excess. Whether we rejoice around a decorated evergreen tree--or replica thereof--with family and friends, likely engaging in an orgy of gift exchange very loosely based on Biblical Kings bearing gifts to the Christ child, followed or preceded by another orgy of food consumption, or perhaps a quieter more religious observance, this is an opportunity to reflect on life and time.

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" reminds us that what really matters is something called the Christmas spirit, in essence the spiritual nature of the Holiday. There is indeed more to life than life. Peace to men of good will, charity, generosity and celebration are all good and important things. But there is more.

Not everyone, alas, is joyful; not all mankind is filled with charity and good will. There is poverty; there are tragedy, anger and hate; there is injustice and, yes, there is evil. Like it or not, these are all part of this life. But again, there is more.

There is a theory that life is a zero sum experience. For each joyful moment there is, in due time, a sad one; for each success a failure; for each triumph a tragedy. This is not to say it's all futile. On the contrary, the imperative is to fully appreciate and revel in the good times, for they are inevitably ethereal. Do not waste them. Appreciate and openly love spouse, family and friends. They are not immortal. Do not let the little things ruin the big ones. Everything leaves a mark in time. Wasting the good leaves the field to the bad which is unwasteable.

Most important, do not ignore the spiritual. As Mr. Church said in "Virginia", there is something beyond the corporeal. There is an order and a plan toward which unknown conclusion we are chaotically lurching. That conclusion is certainly not a problem-free Utopia on earth, despite the best efforts of government. Many believe, as do I, that it is not of this world.

Max Ehrmann's strangely wise Desiderata puts it this way: "Although it may not always be clear to you, no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should." The aviators' classic poem High Flight ends with, "I've trod the high untrespassed sanctity of space, put out my hand and touched the face of God." Spirituality. If you look closely enough, there is spirituality in nearly everything, transcending the mundane and mean of our daily lives. Thus the zero sum game is defeated.

On a personal note, some of you know I've recently experienced a great tragedy. My wife of fifty years is lost in the darkness of a massive stroke. She may never return to me. But I look back at those fifty years of true blessing, love and wonder, and thank God for her and those years, and the two wonderful children that resulted from our union. Zero sum, indeed not.

So, at this tenth Christmas of the Second Millennium from that glorious birth, please enjoy fully the good times and the good people. If permitted, they will leave a lasting, shining mark on your life and time.

Merry Christmas and "God bless us, every one!"