December 2002 - Nr. 12
Letter from the Editor
Dear Reader
The festive season has begun. The parties and get-togethers, the baking dates and shopping, the concerts and the Christmas Markets all line up like tin soldiers in our calendars, except perhaps not quite as neatly. Some of these dates fall all over each other and we are hard pressed to bring order to our lives. Choices have to be made, and often they are difficult.
But the important thing to know and remember is that our customs are alive and well.
We see them practised everywhere. Every performance of the Messiah, every Christmas carol sung, every fervent prayer thought, every candle lit by anyone in any god’s name lights up the world.
Collectively, regardless of religion, we congregate in our great musical venues and enjoy the creativity of artists then and now, written and performed for the glorification of something higher to aspire to. Charity still triumphs every Christmas season and lets business have its windfall too.
As long as winter only settles in or streets and gardens and not in our hearts and souls we can weather any storm. As long as we do not expect justice from our systems of civilisation, we can plan accordingly and try and avoid such situations. If injustice befalls us anyway, we know that it is pretty useless to fight it, unless we are prepared to fight endlessly. But the best thing would be to flourish and prosper regardless. If the system gets in the way we can find another avenue to conduct our lives honestly without unnecessary hurdles. We know that these controlling interests are nothing but an attempt to curb a perceived bad situation; and we know that the originally necessary handling now has become the problem, a problem that often befalls all the wrong people. These various kinds of civilized barbarisms are designed to make us hard and cold and decide not to help anyone anymore. We must not fall for it. But we must learn to choose more wisely what we do and whom we are doing it with.
So between all the planning and shopping and decorating, between all the concerts and parties and get-togethers, I sincerely hope you can find at least a reflection of your true desires and hopes and aspirations as the wonderful beings you actually are, and take that next step to fulfill your dreams.
![Christmas Tree in the garden [Photo: ege]](ege-XmasTree.jpg)
I
hope you have a wonderful advent season, enjoy our customs and all those
things that are best about us, the people, who still have a Christmas Tree
called a Christmas Tree, right here in beautiful Toronto, even though Darth
Vader had sent out his evil forces to make it otherwise. Hail to the Chief
Lastman, who protected our Christmas tree with a politically incorrect
decision.
Now, if we could only get those guys at Queens Park to also reflect Christmas with a Merry Christmas, instead of only having Happy Hanukkah displayed on the lawn; that indeed would be progress!
May be another job for Wayne Wettlaufer?
Until
just before Christmas,
I remain yours truly
Sybille Forster-Rentmeister
Comments to: editor@echoworld.com
