The holiday season. Everyone is just that much nicer to each other. People will hold door for random strangers, give money to the poor, donate clothing to shelters...Where is this in our everyday lives when we need it?
One of the biggest things we teach our children when the Christmas trees are put up in front of windows and candles in menorahs are lit is to spread good will to all. "This is a time of peace," we tell them. We tell them to at least try to understand those around them and reach out to those in need. Yet, it is so rare to see this outside the holiday season. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, or anything else, the message is the same: help those in need, understand those around you, and work towards peace.
Today, we live in a world ravaged by war, terror, mass shootings, bombings, fear, and controversy. The news is plastered every night with another story of murder, of blood, of pain. Our world mourned with Paris and Mali. Our children are taught how to survive school shootings. Families spend the holidays with oceans between them because of war. It is heartbreaking to see the horror with which we are surrounded.
And yet there is a call for peace. A call for good will toward all. Not just white males or Christians or African Americans or Muslims or women or members of the LGBT community or the homeless. A call for good will towards all. We are taught to be unbiased and to love without prejudice around the holidays. Think of how amazing this world would be if that was our everyday life! I'm not saying it would solve every word problem, that poverty and hunger and disease would disappear and we would all be the best of friends. However, a little good will would make a huge difference.
A smile or a compliment from a stranger can make a bad day better. A hug can give someone a reason to carry on. A simple word of sincere encouragement can change a life. Letting someone know they are loved could save a life. We have the power to change our entire world! One simple act of kindness a day is enough to start a revolution. Peace on earth may not be 100% possible, but we can certainly get close to it.
So as family piles into guest bedrooms, presents are wrapped, songs are sung, and meals are prepared, take that deliriously happy feeling and bottle it up inside. Hold it in your heart. Remember what it feels like to have a little bit of peace. Then go spread it. Go show the world how to love, how to care, how to hope. And let there be good will to all not only this holiday season, but for the year to come.
