The spirit of Christmas

Christians in Indonesia will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this evening under decidedly different circumstances from those that usually prevail around this time of year. Although the holiday spirit was present as people thronged to shopping malls throughout Jakarta in the past few days, it is evident that economic hardships from the region's monetary upheaval have put a damper on the festivities.

Spoiled by a sense of growing affluence -- be it real or illusory -- Indonesians had come to expect in recent years that they would celebrate each year's most important events in a fitting manner. Lebaran, or Idul Fitri, for the nation's Moslems and Christmas for Christians count among these important fixtures on the calendar, and most Indonesians spare little to turn these holidays into the most festive times of the year.

With Christmas, New Year's Day and Idul Fitri spaced so closely together, one of the most notable happenings during the past few days has been the absence of usual worker demands for holiday bonuses. With tens of thousands of Indonesians reportedly left jobless by the crisis, it seems most of us are just thankful to hold on to a regular wage.

It is unfortunate, to say the least, that so many of us are compelled to spend this year's Christmas in reduced circumstances. For people who have been hit the hardest, there is perhaps little comfort in knowing that Christ himself was born and lived in conditions far worse than most of us have had to endure. But hopefully the Christmas spirit will move those who have the means to lend a helping hand to the unfortunates.

For most of us, meanwhile, the most important Christmas message to hold onto is that of humanitarianism, and its emphasis on humility and concern for others. A greater sense of attention to the fate of less privileged Indonesians, particularly those who have lost their livelihood and are living in hardship due to the monetary crisis, would go a long way in alleviating their suffering. Indeed, it could be argued that had this spirit of humility and charity prevailed from the outset, the scope of the economic woes might have been much different.

With the modern emphasis on giving free rein to merrymaking, the celebration of Christmas has lost much of its original spiritual meaning. Thus, if anything good can come from the difficult developments of recent months, it may be that they will help restore some of the old but worthy values traditionally associated with the celebration of Christ's birthday.

Circumstances may change, but these values of love and respect for others remain constant for the good of all humankind. Hopefully, difficult times such as these may serve as telling reminders of these continuing truths.

Better days are sure to come again, provided that we are capable and willing to learn from our past mistakes, uphold what is right and eschew what is wrong in word and attitude. We wish all our Christian readers a merry Christmas.