What Counts this Christmas?
Not just how many presents or cards you get this Christmas compared to last. How much you spent on food or gifts or travel this month compared to last December? Or the number killed in Aleppo? Or the total number of refugees forced to leave “the killing streets” of the Middle East – the highest since the end of the Second World War? The global average temperature continues to increase and 2016 looks like becoming the hottest year ever. Big deal! Big numbers. The extinction of the human race? Not if, but when. Some even predict by 2030. Stephen Hawkins says we have 100 years to save the world.
We are getting more severe earthquakes than ever. Is climate change making matters worse? Some geologists think so. More extreme weather events? Definitely. The trend continues upwards, says Munich Re.
So we hapless humans cannot do much about it, can we? When your number is up, it’s up! But if we humans started the global green house gas upward trend through rapid industrialisation, burning fossil fuels, land-clearing and deforestation, surely we know how to stop it. To set things on a better, cleaner, safer path.
So it’s more than a numbers game. We need to apply the human touch. It will take more than technology to save us. In fact, maybe technology is us leading down the garden path. It’s not all its cracked up to be. We are in danger of losing control when we should be taking it into our own hands.
This Christmas – this year-end – as we contemplate what’s past and what’s ahead, think like a human. Look at the human cost and the human factors. It’s not enough to pray for peace and good-will. We humans must act. In the best interests of humanity. Now. Don’t be like Scrooge or the prophets of doom. Celebrate Christmas and let’s look forward to the New Year with hope, justice and peace, for humanity’s sake.
Ken Hickson