REFLECTIONS DURING THANKSGIVING-CHRISTMAS SEASON

THE METAMORPHOSIS
By
Ernie Delfin
Youth Services Director
Newport Irvine Rotary Club

SOME REFLECTIONS FOR THANKSGIVING AND
THE FORTHCOMING CHRISTMAS (HOLIDAY) SEASON

“ For everything under the sun, there is a reason and there is a season”.

--- A paraphrase from the Book of Ecclesiastes

The United States is making history. It just elected Barack Obama as its first Black American president after a long spirited campaign amidst the worst U.S. economy since the Great Depression in the 1930s. This financial tsunami has already resulted to an unprecedented foreclosures of homes and the failure (and subsequent bailouts) of several financial giants, like AIG, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Despite all these depressing economic news, however, millions of people from other countries still desire to immigrate and live in the United States, much more than those wanting to leave. The USA remains a strong magnet to millions of foreigners.

Why are Americans unhappy or depressed then? Because we Americans are spoiled people in so many ways because we are used to a very comfortable and easy- going lifestyle. We were used to pay only about $30, not $100 to fill up the gas tanks of our SUV’s. When our 401(k) retirement accounts or our American dollars depreciate, we get depressed. When the values of our houses tumble, we cry because our houses for decades have become as our revolving “savings” account. Road rage increases where there is too much traffic whereas in many parts of the world, freeways and cars are just a dream! And the list goes on and on.

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This coming Thanksgiving week and the advent of the Holiday or Christmas Season, it is an opportune time for all of us to take a pause to reflect and consciously take minute vacations from our tupsy turvy world and start counting the many blessings that we often take for granted. We should simply ignore those luring advertisement subliminally convincing us that we can never be happy without buying that designer clothes or taking that expensive vacation. No one should ever listen that it is necessary to have those cosmetic surgeries to remove the excess fat in one’s tummy or wrinkles in one’s aging face in order to look young and beautiful. The coming Holidays should not only be about material gifts but also gifts of time and energy to nurture better relationships.

On a more serious note, I believe that to be truly happy and fulfilled is to have a grateful heart and to become a child once again. Children are pure and simple. They are colorblind; share their toys with anyone. They do not carry grudges or hatred in their hearts; they are quite innocent, guilt free and unbiased.

Once we are grown up, we leave childlike behaviors behind. We learn and acquire acts of prejudice, pride, discrimination and greed along the way. In the adult world, he who has more toys wins! We crave for the applause of men and are driven for that ephemeral l5 minutes fame. People are driven to become recognized by what they possess rather than by the content of their character that defines who they are. We forget that each one is unique individual and each is given his own talents by God as His gift to us as human beings. What we do with those talents is our own gift to Him that gave us.

Psychologists say that the Holiday season increases the level stress, depression and even suicides in our society. When pangs of anxiety or depression come, an effective prescription is to go out and volunteer to feed the hungry and the homeless. To go to a spiritual retreat or a visit to the graves of some loved ones can also prevent anxiety attacks or depression.

If you feel sad because you cannot afford to buy those $300 pair of shoes, your mental paradigm can change by this Hindu proverb:

“I CRIED AND CRIED BECAUSE I HArtrtVE NO SHOES,
UNTIL I SAW A MAN WITH NO FEET AT ALL!”

Have a blessed, peaceful and Christmas Holidays everyone!

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Email writer at: ernie.delfin@gmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com