GOOD NEWS DAY
Thursday Dec. 18, 2014
Life isn’t luck as much as it is good fortune, made so by our own efforts, and efforts of many millennia, forefathers (and foremothers) that went … before.
And us.
No end, it seems, to this planet’s supply of bizarre.
Recent headlines evidence massive citizen impacts.
Closest to home, oil prices and bizarre politics.
Further afield, brutal insanity, slayed Pakistani school children, Nigerian girl hostages murdered. Hostage takings in Australia. Serial killers dot news coverage. Collapse of the Ruble. Cubans get hope. Mexican-Americans still second-rate political interests. Federal Reserve and Bank of Canada fingers-crossed. For every bad news story, countless more untold.
Bad news, bad news, bad news.
Sad news, sad news, sad news.
… as Jews celebrate Chanukah (Dec. 16-24) and Christians celebrate (Dec. 25) and shoppers celebrate (Dec. 26 - ? … do the sales ever end?), Africans celebrate Kwanzaa (Dec. 26 – Jan 1) and Greek Orthodox Christmas (Jan. 7), where is the good news?
I believe in good news.
High hopes and high regard for goodness in people.
Hard to see, isn’t it, with so much bad news so well covered.
Good news is among us.
We have life, liberty and peace worth celebrating.
As you go through your day – book your car for service, pick up dry-cleaning, stop at your pharmacy or post office, shop for groceries, stock up, gas up, get cash at an ATM …
Ride a plane, drive a highway, walk a street.
Sit, admire, enjoy.
See.
We are safe.
We live abundantly in safe communities with clean air, safe water, sewers that work and stores with goods on their shelves where rule of law, soundness dollars dollar and equity of citizenship is fair and worthy. Police are friends, criminals are not. Where comedy is entertainment and life is not happy, not funny. OK, sometimes it’s funny.
We do no fear for our lives. Roof overhead. Heat is on. We do not cringe when someone knocks. We are peaceful. Soon, for a few days, restful too.
Still, it seems to me we have so much work to do, wrongs to right.
So many people needing help.
And we need to help them.
Isn’t that part of being free, and safe?
Don’t we have an obligation – moral one, to help everyone we can?
Long ago, these seasonal celebrations began.
Before debit cards and bright packages. They were never the reason.
Peace and peace-making were reasons.
Thanks, gratitude and joy were reasons.
Babies were reasons.
Giving … many reasons.
We’ve come a long way.
Sometimes it seems like we’ve not come far, or far enough.
Turn off the news and go hug someone.
If we all did that …
Mark Kolke
column written/ published from Calgary, AB
morning walk: -6C/21F, partly overcast, silence and darkness with some roadway hum in the background – frosty and empty of emotion, streets and sky are witnesses to everything we do. They neither help or hinder, or care. Caring, it seems, is a distinctly human characteristic – often mimicked by dogs wanting their breakfast …
Reader feedback:
Hey Mark, Happy Holidays. I have a friend who wants to get involved in Toastmasters in Calgary. Do you have any suggestions for clubs in the SE or NE? Thank You, CF, Calgary, AB
Ahh, that adrenaline flow that follows a good night's sleep moves so many creative endeavors. But watch out for that 2:00 pm reminder that one got out of bed before the dawn. GW, Bon Wier, Tx.
