A life-changing Christmas

Debbie Jacob
Debbie Jacob

MY CHRISTMAS wish list boils down to two requests that I guarantee will make my holiday and change your life more than any Christmas magic you can imagine. First, I wish for you to discover the rewards of reading – especially Caribbean literature. Secondly, give the gift of giving by supporting a non-government organisation (NGO).

These two simple acts, reading and supporting an NGO with time, your skills or donations, will transform your life in unimaginable ways. 

By now everyone should know that reading provides entertainment, escape and enrichment for our lives. In general, reading develops analytical skills and empathy. Reading Caribbean literature elevates all of these skills by providing an understanding of the history and culture that defines us.

Most importantly, buying and reading Caribbean literature preserves our voice as a region. When you buy and read a Caribbean book you encourage regional publishers like Ian Randle Publishers, the University of the West Indies (UWI) and Papillote Press to invest in publishing our literature.

Internationally-based publishers like Peepal Tree Press and HopeRoad Publishing are doing their part to keep Caribbean and international literature alive. In February, Hodder Educational, which now owns the Heinemann catalogue, will release Caribbean Modern Classics, which could revive an interest in the region we once knew with Heinemann, Longman and Macmillan Caribbean.

UWI has been bridging the nonfiction gap between secondary school and university readers with its biography series, which features short biographies around 100 pages long of famous Caribbean people in the arts and literature.

After a long dry spell, more publishers are taking chances on Caribbean readers. This will only last if the region supports Caribbean literature. Check your local bookstores, especially places like Paper Based in the Normandie Hotel which specialises in Caribbean literature. It is one of the most important forms of support you can give the region.

My second wish is for everyone to become involved in an NGO. Identify your skills and your interests, do your research and ask around to identify NGOs that you can support with your time, skills or donations. Whether you are interested in animals, the environment, wildlife, prisons or literacy there are NGOs that you can contribute to. Find NGOs that assist the poor. 

Like reading, community service adds another dimension to our lives. Research actually shows that community service changes our brain. Beyond making us more compassionate and empathetic, community service creates a feeling of power and peace. Brain scans show that the areas of the brain that deal with such contentment light up more in people who perform community service.

If you contribute to a cause that is dear to you, you have the pleasure of changing the country. Community service gives us a feeling of power.

At one time, before I began working in our nation’s prisons, I felt depressed, scared, isolated and victimised by crime. When I began working in the prisons, I regained my sense of freedom and power. I lost my feeling of helplessness and I ditched my cynicism. It has been replaced with hope and contentment even on the gloomiest days because I know that people who volunteer as I do make a difference.

The rewards are priceless. To regain your sense of wellbeing and your optimism is a big achievement in these times when we feel almost helpless in the face of crime and covid19. If you participate in community service and are engaged in the act of giving, you feel in control of your life. 

The benefits of reading and giving know no age restrictions. It is becoming more and more important for students to understand the importance of volunteer work and supporting NGOs. That is difficult with covid19 restrictions, but creative fund-raising events can be both fun and helpful for the charity of your choice.

Of course, giving must be from the heart. You can’t have expectations, but you will find the act of giving feeds the need to participate more and more in community service. When you experience the joy someone in need gets from a simple act of kindness like a food hamper, assistance with school books or an unexpected present, you will understand the benefits of the act of giving.

So make this the merriest Christmas ever. Give yourself and others in your life the gift of Caribbean literature and volunteer to help an NGO. Experience and appreciate life on a whole new level.

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