This time of year brings with it a mixture of emotions. Goodwill towards others; families and friends brought closer together, and our attention draws to the things we are most grateful for in our lives. Honestly, it can be easy to forget that for many, this time of year brings one of the toughest experiences most of us hope to never have to endure.
With the economic situation Calgary finds itself in, it can be said with some certainty that the number of people experiencing tough times has increased substantially. Personally, seeing people in our community struggle with these circumstances has highlighted a theme which surprisingly hadn?t hit me before.
Although you might think at first, and for good reason, that this theme calls on those who are hit hardest by the economic struggles, I think you?ll find there is something here which we can uncover together for the betterment of Calgarians this Christmas.
Think back, back to any of those beloved Christmas movies which filled you with wonder as a child or that moved you to spread joy and goodwill as an adult. In these stories what grabbed you was the will of the main characters to overcome their hardship, and still help others in need.
They do not forsake the troubles of others because of their own misfortune. In fact, what we often see is an effort to retain their humanity in difficult times by acting selflessly and continuing to care for others regardless of their own situation. I think you?ll agree this quality is what endears these characters to us and what makes us hopeful for a happy ending.
Of course with each of these stories there is also a force of incredible love and generosity, arriving in the form of a community that realizes they owe many wonderful things to these humble people. For example, I like to think that regardless of their hardships, Bob Cratchit’s family would treat each and every one of us with the same care and generosity they give to one another.
Inevitably this notion brings these characters good fortune which they so deserve and this easily warms our hearts. Mission accomplished Christmas movie!
For me, the importance in these stories is not the climactic large gesture by the supposed hero but rather the many selfless actions of those who struggle themselves. More so now than ever I can see the value in this message as Calgary endures difficult times for many of its people.
It may seem backwards to call upon those who have been hit by hard times. Yet it has become apparent that as a society we draw the most inspiration from the actions of those who could easily let their misfortunes sway their care for the needs of others but instead decide to answer a selfless larger calling.
I?m not saying that if you haven?t been impacted by the economy you are off the hook. Quite the opposite actually. Those of us who have the capacity to give our time or donations need to look at the value it brings in our own lives to stand beside those who would see humanity succeed before their own struggles are resolved.
These people stand as a beacon of hope and set a standard for those of us who otherwise may not understand the importance of giving even if you only have a little.
As Calgarians, we are a strong and resilient group. We find a way to bounce back no matter what gets thrown at us, the recent flood being a prime example.
Things may be tough right now, but for someone you don?t know they could be tougher. For someone else a small gesture by you could be the arrival of a very large hero in their daily struggle. So I encourage Calgarians and the members of 100 Men Who Give A Damn to consider the real life Cratchits of our city who care about those in need despite their own circumstances and to rally around the selfless efforts of those who are less fortunate. Because the value we can build together for our own humanity is much greater than the time or money we can save waiting for our own misfortunes to end.
Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I wish you all the best and stand with you.
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