The spirit of Christmas

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.