As I thought about what I would say in my Christmas address to the nation, it occurred to me that nothing I say, here or elsewhere, is likely ever to be etched in anything, anywhere. But I do have a few thoughts that I hope you will find worthwhile this Christmas.
Many years ago, there was a musical entitled, “Stop the World, I Want to Get Off.” The title, a line frequently used at the time to express bewilderment and frustration, was a commentary on what the producers of the play saw as a world spinning out of control. Back in 1961, compared to what had gone on in the past, the world probably did seem like a pretty crazy place, and the desire to get off an understandable, and even appropriate wish.
There’s nothing like 53 years to put things into perspective. Could anyone back then have envisioned an arthritic creep who dresses like Mao and is big buddies with Dennis Rodman, (who dresses like-fill in the blank), censoring movies being shown in the U.S.? Or creeps in black doing bad imitations of the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland (”Off with his head!”) If anything, the title of the play is even more relevant now.
As I listen to Christmas music, I am reminded, not only of my Christmases past, but of the eternal nature of Christmas. It is still here, still full of meaning for those who will absorb it: the arrival of the greatest Christmas gift ever, given to all of us, who have done nothing to earn or entitle ourselves to it.
You don’t have to stop the world to get off for a while. Just take a little time to let the idea of Christmas sink in. Know that, however much you may find wrong with the world, your life, or the lives of those around you, you are loved, eternally and unconditionally. The peace that follows from that realization can make a lot of the turmoil that goes on seem like the transitory stuff that it is. Kim Jong who? Christmas shows the wisdom of the book title Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff-and It’s All Small Stuff. Compared to Christmas and its message, the rest is all small stuff.
This is David Stanczak on WJBC’s Forum wishing you a Merry Christmas.
David Stanczak, a Forum commentator since 1995, came to Bloomington in 1971. He served as the City of Bloomington’s first full-time legal counsel for over 18 years, before entering private practice. He is currently employed by the Snyder Companies and continues to reside in Bloomington with his family.
The opinions expressed within WJBC’s Forum are solely those of the Forum’s author, and are not necessarily those of WJBC or Cumulus Media Inc.
