Herbert Lewis, Guest Columnist
BY OUR actions it is clear that, and indeed a pity, so many of us forget or just do not recognise that Jesus is the real reason for the joy and glad tidings of the Christmas holiday season.
Christmas is a magical time of the year when people of all ages and background should put aside their differences and be reminded of the things which truly count the joy of giving, the gleam in the young child's eye, and the sound of voices raised in song.
During this magical season, many go to great extreme to spend with total abandonment and with little or no concern for the days and weeks after the season is over.
In fact, many cannot help themselves because some of the advertisements are so powerful that some consumers are convinced that if they don't have this or that item they are not living. And, in fact, some consumers will argue that if such and such a person can own a certain item, they should own one too.
TAKING ADVANTAGE
We lament on a daily basis about the state of our education and the incidence of literacy but one cannot help thinking that advantage is being taken of some of these people by inducing them to own what they cannot afford.
As business people, it is not unreasonable to expect that in advertising our goods and services we take into account the vulnerability of the illiterate and pitch our advertisements in a way to offer them some level of protection against themselves.
After the holidays many, after stretching themselves to get what they cannot afford and, in a lot of cases, what they do not really need, will be faced with school fees, a new pair of shoes, money for the rent or mortgage, lunch money or the furniture bill.
The situation might even be more complicated if the job is no longer there after the holidays.
Indeed, mid-January to February, by contrast, is a magical time of year when people forget all about the joy of giving, the gleam in a young child's eye and all the other happy experiences.
This leads to mid-to late February when people everywhere feel overpowering, soul-crushing emotional pain, causing them to hate co-workers, their loved ones and themselves.
Evidence of this phenomenon can be found in many countries including ours, with Christmas miracles of universal benevolence and spiritual upliftment degenerating into mid-January everyday banalities and neglect.
Corporations which donated generously to the homeless and various charities mere weeks before will resume their usual cut-throat, profit-driven practices.
Children who learned the important lesson that it is better to give than receive will be refusing to share their expensive new toy with less fortunate playmates, gloating over their possessions and berating other children for being poor.
And the many career-focused dads, who made a major breakthrough during the holiday season, vowing to spend quality with their wives and children, will systematically unlearn this realisation of what truly matters and return to their dysfunctional workaholic patterns.
ACHIEVABLE RESOLUTIONS
In the new year, we all make resolutions, many of which we never accomplish. How about some practical and achievable ones such as:
Service with a smile Remember that service does not mean servitude. The customer is the one who contributes to existence of the business and ultimately to provision of employment for you.
Exhibit a good attitude A helpful approach to both co-worker and to customers.
Be a good team player.
Love your family, your neighbour, and your co-worker and try to love your job (there are not many jobs available today).
Take care of the old, the dispossessed and the homeless There are extra blessings in this regard.
If we make the effort to do these simple but important things, we will achieve much. Remember we cannot legislate love, good attitude, quality service, but these are the backbone of civility and decency. These are quality on which any good society is built.
I hope you will agree with me that the positive, soul-enriching sentiments associated with the holiday season are shared by almost all Jamaicans, regardless of religious beliefs or cultural backgrounds.
BEHAVING KINDLY
But it is only by contrasting our regular mean-spirited shallowness the rest of the year which allows the spirit of Christmas to move us so deeply, deluding the populace into thinking their lives are actually beautiful.
If everybody behaved so kindly to one another all year round, then what a wonderful world we would be sharing with each other.
If you think about it, the11 and a half months of cruelty, selfishness and disrespect exhibited by nearly all humanity could change if we reflected deeply and recognised the fact that Jesus is really the reason for the season.
May I wish for you all and for Jamaica a new year of peace and genuine love for each other.
Herbert Lewis is an industrial relations specialist and past president of Jamaica Employers Federation.
Email: Herblewish@cwjamaica.com.
