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Editorial Season of giving? |
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It’s almost Christmas, and it’s really not that cold. Well, at least by my 21 Saskatchewan winter standards anyway. The semester’s almost over and I’m coming out the other side alive, with marks that do not represent how little work I actually did. Yet, I watch one commercial reminding me of the fast-approaching Christmas season and the even quicker oncoming pressure of gift-choosing and buying, not to mention finding the non-existent money to buy said gifts with, and I’m in tears. Somebody call Oprah, because I’m throwing myself one helluva pity party. Or maybe a guilt trip – I can’t decide which. It’s understandable to get a little wrapped up in yourself at such a busy time – hell, it’s practically encouraged, but what’s really getting to me is how often myself, and so many others, practice this lifestyle on a daily basis. Now, maybe a guilt trip is good at Christmas; it gets us to open our hearts, and our wallets, to causes that need our attention. Unfortunately, we only seem to let ourselves be guilted into it this time of year. And even then, it’s not unusual to keep your giving inside your circle of friends, with maybe the odd donation here and there. So why am I feeling so guilty? Because my stressed-out tears aren’t for all those who don’t have a place to live, never mind enough money to buy gifts: and that’s why I’m upset; the thought of those less fortunate hasn’t exactly been a priority in my mind these past few weeks. Does that make me a bad person? I hope not, but it does make me one of very many steeped so deep in our own culture of self-involvement and worry. My guilt must stem from childhood, when I first began to notice that people became nicer to each other at Christmas. As a kid, this seems great; as I got older, it makes me increasingly upset. As much as I want to see people reach out to others, it’s hard to take it as meaningful when niceness only turns on Nov. 30 with the plugging in of the Christmas lights. Cynical? I wish it wasn’t, it’s not generally my style, but it does lead me to wonder: do we give to truly benefit those we are giving to, or are we giving to make ourselves feel better? It’s understandable as to why many of us only give at consumer-dominated holidays such as Christmas. We get sucked in to spending money we don’t have on things others probably don’t need, when there are so many out there who can’t even get the very basics; and when they do, it’s only once a year when they need so much more help. But like I said, cynicism isn’t my style. So I can’t sit here and rant about how selfish and greedy our society has become. It’s surprising, really, every time I start to feel down about how low we’ve sunk as people, something lifts my spirits. I’ve seen the most preoccupied person stop and not only donate money to a Salvation Army collection basket, but take the time to chat up the collector. There’s people that donate to needy charities all year long, and simply increase their donation at Christmas. There’s also a million more examples that go unnoticed that I am sometimes lucky enough to witness, and it makes me feel less helpless and guilty, and more inspired. I know we’re not a society of bad people, we’ve just kind of lost our way, but if we look hard enough we can find a way to make a difference. If it has to happen at Christmas, so be it. Let’s just see if we can make it last all year. Cassie Ozog Copy Editor |