What is wrong with these people?
Greed. And it’s not something “wrong” per se. It’s a natural animal instinct. My dog, Shadow, is greedy and possessive around food. Well, she’s a dog – she can’t help herself. If the cat comes within five feet of her when she’s eating, there’s a blur of fur, teeth and growls as she asserts her dominance and command over her food bowl. She’s so greedy around food that she stole an oatmeal cookie off John’s plate when he left his snack unattended while watching television. (Picture this big furry German Shepherd just standing next to his recliner chair holding the cookie in her mouth – she stole it, but didn’t eat it, waiting until he returned to ‘ask’ permission. Of course since the cookie was now covered with dog drool, she got it). All animals are greedy.
But aren’t we supposed to be better than that now? Haven’t we as humankind grown up a bit since our animal ancestry days? Whether you’re a Christian, Muslim, Jew or Hindu, greed is frowned upon. Our parents try their best to teach us to share when we’re children. We learn that sharing is caring and that greed is bad.
So what happens?
Consumerism, commercialism, and a relentless drive towards having and getting more push our buttons. Throw in ‘group think’ and people waiting in the cold overnight in a Wal Mart parking lot for a bargain and you get a frantic, animalistic crush.
My family has a simple solution. It may be controversial, but it works for us. We no longer give Christmas presents. We buy ourselves small gifts under $20 to wrap and put under the tree. For the children, we do still give presents, but for everyone else, we try to give presents only we can give. Time spent together during the holidays. Home baked and home cooked goodies. And at this season, we contribute to charity. The pennies
I’ve thrown into my piggy bank throughout the year added up to a nice gift that will go into the retirement fund for Catholic religious, a donation I give every Christmas to thank the priests and nuns who formed my conscience and who taught me how to read, write and think. We’ll give to the local food bank to show we care and we’ll go to the children’s concert where our friends teach at the local Christian Academy, gifts of time once more.
Get rid of consumerism and commercialism. Focus on Christ, the reason for the season.
