Last night I finished re-reading A Christmas Carol, which I do each year as part of my December festivities. I was thinking over this past year and realizing that one of the reasons I love the story so very much is the extraordinary power it reminds us we all have within us: the power we have, as humans, to change our world for the better.
After a long year such as this one, the message seems particularly vital. When A Christmas Carol was first published, it started the shift away from this season centering around a religious celebration. It dissipated any evidence that our faith in God, or angels, or the inherent goodness of spirits would make bad things good.
Instead, the injunction is utterly clear: Goodness and kindness are up to us, each one of us, and only us.
Charles Dickens wrote the story during a time when the Industrial Revolution had turned all goodness on its ears, forcing children into appalling working conditions. He himself, because of some minor debts his father had incurred, was forced into so-called “apprenticeship” at a shoe blacking factory at the age of 12—ten hours a day, six days a week. (“Apprenticeship” meant one didn’t get paid, of course.) His own desperate childhood story of that time was just one of millions.
This year in particular, although I cried like I always do when I read it, I felt revived and hopeful all over again. As our former president Barack Obama so famously urged us: It is up to us to be the change we want. It us up to us to help the hungry, the needy, the destitute, and the grief-ridden. Don’t think it is anyone else’s responsibility to ensure justice, fairness, and goodness prevail over greed and more greed. Dickens reminds us in this tale that it is not even God’s responsibility to ensure goodness. Don’t trust that everything will turn out fine after we’ve died and gone to heaven. The time is now. It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to prevail over avarice and cruelty. To me, that is the wonderful message of this time of the winter solstice. Whatever holiday we choose to celebrate, stirred in each of us is a fervent longing for love and the return of the Light of Hope.
That Hope is within us. It is up to us. Take it in—breathe it in—feel your courage and transform your longing into deed.
And if we take on this charge, over and over again, our world continues to get better. One thing I know for sure: the world is a much better place than it was 170 or so years ago when A Christmas Carol was first published. Yes, children around the world still suffer, but many more of us are doing what we can to help, in small or big ways. Extraordinary global movements continually monitor the suffering of our fellow humans and are doing what they can to mitigate that suffering. Black Lives Matter brings to consciousness that we refuse to tolerate brutality and racism. The significance of educating girls in parts of the world where it’s still illegal is another tremendous endeavor that’s created change. We even can be part of those movements without having to leave our couch! We can also do what Scrooge’s nephew does, which is to be friendly no matter how gruff a response might be. I’ve already written about that recently—friendliness matters. It lifts our spirits. Kindness matters. Helping is good too. It is up to each of us to make this a better time–and to remember it is much, much better than we might sometimes think.
Happy Christmas! Let’s all make each day happy for as many of “our fellow travelers to the grave” as we possibly can. It’s up to us.