X-mas for Christmas

THE EDITOR: Perhaps X-mas instead of Christmas is not a bad thing after all. This holiday season people all over the world take time to recognise the great joy love can bring to all mankind.

Children look forward to a day when they can share a meal and gifts with others in an atmosphere of happiness. For a moment mankind pauses to wish each other peace and goodwill. This is a moment when one gets a glimpse of what is possible if we dare to look beyond our differences and sow seeds of love.

If removing Christ from Christmas allows us to look beyond religion and recognise that we are one human race on the only planet in our solar system that supports life, then let there be X-mas. X-mas allows one to put aside religious differences and recognise that the survival of the human species depends on our ability to love one another rather than embrace beliefs that divide us. In X-mas Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and every other religion on earth have an opportunity to see the brotherhood of man celebrating a sharing of love instead of hate.

In a world threatened by nuclear warfare, religious divisions, climate change, food shortages, terrorism and intolerance, the holiday season offers one a vision of what is possible when giving replaces greed, when music replaces the noises of war and messages of peace pervade. If replacing the Christ in Christmas allows for all of humanity to share in the joy that is common at the holiday season and in some way, open the door for citizens of earth to recognize the potential for universal peace then it is unlikely that a great God will object to such an act.

My wish this holiday season is for universal love. Such love opens the door to solving poverty, finding reliable safe energy for the future, addressing global food production, ending centuries of sectarian wars and rebellions and allows us to remove the borders that separate us. This is a beautiful world and we can all save it for generations to see and enjoy the motherly nature of Africa, the beauty of the Americas, the album of humanity that is recorded in Europe, the serenity of Asia and the diversity of nature that exists in Australia.

In my little island of Trinidad and Tobago, if X-mas can allow for Hindus, Muslims and Christians to not only embrace a season of love but cultivate a spirit of unity then we can well be on the way to prosperity. In this small island we have more than enough wealth and talent to look after all our needs. Love may be the missing ingredient. So, haul out the holly; put up the tree before my spirit falls again. Fill up the stocking, I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now. For we need a little Xmas, right this very minute, we need a little X-mas now.

Happy Holidays and God bless our nation.

STEVE ALVAREZ via email