Where is the Peace on Earth, Goodwill Towards Mankind?

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As we move farther into the holiday season, I'm noticing there's not much peace on earth, good will towards mankind.


As a society it seems we are all more anxious to condemn, point fingers at, be belligerent towards and generally act as aggressive and menacing as possible towards our fellow man. The salacious antics of alleged role models are hot water cooler topics, front page news and lead the TV news.

While the financial world seems to get healthier and healthier, more in our country and the world do without, more are dying from war, famine, disease and the offshoots of war that ever before.

We sing the carols. We attend church and hear the Christmas message. It's the same one every year. You would think after a few years it would register in our brains.

Apparently not. For some reason the message gets lost somewhere between the pew and the church parking lot.

As happens every year as we hit Halloween, the thoughts of the true meaning of Christmas gets lost somewhere between the greed of retailers and the mindset of shoppers to fill up on more and more - as if having more and more things under the tree really means anything.

And while part of the world gorges itself in Christmas Gluttony, most of the US and the world finds precious little to celebrate.

Twenty percent of Oklahoma's children will go to bed hungry tonight. Billions more around the world will do the same.

While some of us stay cuddled up in our bed with visions of sugarplums dance in our heads, millions around the US are homeless or live in the most deplorable conditions imaginable.

Across the world it's worse.

Starvation, Disease and War still ride their horses at a fevered pitch, spreading their destruction on the defenseless.

Darfur, Tibet, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Sudan, Mexico, Venezuela, Middle Europe.... the list of places where starvation, illness and violence are a daily happening.

Citizens and Politicians decry the destruction - yet do precious little to stop it.

In our own country politicians see starving children and block bills that would feed them

These same politicians see sick and dying people who can't get medical care - and refuse to find ways to help.

We see the homeless and destitute and blame them for their plight instead of giving them a helping hand up.

And yet we continue to call ourselves a Christian Nation. We do that while bickering about whose definition of Christian to use. Maybe once the major faiths figure out who is right they'll start working on following their Bible.

We claim that divine country status while ignoring the very tenants of the faith we claim to believe in. Feed the hungry, heal the sick, clothe the poor.

So I challenge all of you to shuck the usual Christmas happenings and do something for your fellow man. Buy one less present and donate the cash to a charity helping those who can't help themselves. Spend some time working at a shelter or food kitchen.

Do something for someone else this holiday season.  Break out your goodwill towards mankind.

Maybe we can change the world if we all do one good thing when so many need it most.