Dear Reader
The last month flew by like a week. There are just a couple of
weeks to Christmas. Of the numerous invitations and offerings
for the festive season we can only partake in a few, which we
will share with you in this issue.
Since it is the Christmas season a lot of folks have a wish list
and so do I. There is a lot of talk about ethical gifting, a
concept that is born out of the need to help others instead of
adding more “stuff” to one’s own life.
 I think it is a
marvellous idea, for instance, to pay for a goat in a 3rd
world country that can support a whole family with basic
survival or buy a piece of Canada to preserve the Boreal
Forrest, or pay for someone’s membership in any charitable
organization that protects the environment for all our benefit
in the future.
Predictions for much less than usual contributions to our
charitable organizations have galvanized the media to make it
known that such gifts are vey needed.
Let’s face it, most of us, at least the people I have closest
contact with in our community are well enough to do and have
everything they need. And if there has to be something replaced
in the household we do not wait for Christmas, like we used to
do in the good old days, we get it when we need it. Thus gifts
are usually a bit of a luxury, something not really needed for
survival, or our daily lives.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that we should not treat
ourselves. Surely we deserve a bit of extra comfort when we
worked so hard all year round in the face of a faltering
economy. But any surplus could go to a truly good cause that
creates future, or a gesture close to home that could smoothen
out a difficult situation that we are aware of.
I however have yet another wish list, one that deals with our
daily lives and the little annoyances it. Some human behaviour
has changed so drastically, and not for the better, that mention
needs to be made, and I am sure many of you feel the same way.
- I wish I did not have to listen to people’s phone
conversions wherever I go. Example: I sit in a small 6 table
café for a nice and quiet lunch in my neighbourhood, wanting to
enjoy a book I just picked up and the other 5 tables, one after
the other, receive phone calls and everyone starts chattering
merrily away, so it now sounds like I am sitting in a Central
Station cafeteria. The supermarket, the bus and the streets,
even inside banks and entertainment venues, are all places where
we are being inundated with conversations not meant for us but
are forced to overhear.
- The use of cell phones while driving cars is another
point I wish to have abolished. It is against the law to drive
and not use a hands free device, yet everywhere I look it is
being disregarded. The lack of attention on driving is causing
accidents, often serious.
- I wish the sales personnel in stores do not talk to
each other as though we are not there, while you/I am conduction
business with them. It astounds me to no end that managers are
not aware of this rudeness, or don’t they care?
- I wish people would not get pets that they then do not
take care of, leaving it up to a caring neighbor to see to it
that the animal has shelter from heat, wet or cold and
sustenance over the duration of a long day.
- I wish institutions would not decide for the public
whether or not there should be a Christmas tree or not. The
overwhelming majority of Canadian and American people, about
80%, have no objections to Christmas and a little bit of
seasonal cheer. In a democracy majority rules. Besides, no one
is objecting to the displays of other holiday expressions.
 I wish…Oh, the list could be quite long, but it is not
even worth discussing. Instead I wish all of our readers,
clients and friends a very Happy Christmas and for everyone to
get well into the next year.
Until next time, just after New Years,
I remain yours truly
Sybille Forster-Rentmeister
|
 |
