Ah yes, to live in interesting times

Well, as we enter the holiday season, it might prove valuable to look back to last October. It was then that a deranged man entered a one room schoolhouse and shot so young ladies.

Why, in a season of joy would we want to think of something so deeply immersed in family grief? Because, as you might recall, the victims were Amish children; and in response the Amish community revealed the touchstone against which all souls shall be judged.

This season, reflect upon the words “Peace on earth, good will toward men”. Reflect upon the demonstrative meaning of those words; and, as we celebrate the Feast of Lights, the days of Hanukkah – before the the day set aside to mark the birth of a Prince of Peace – think of the words of Hillel: the essence of scripture is the admonition to do to others as you would have them do to you – with the rest being only explanation.

Last October, the World witnessed the demonstrative meaning and a clear example of both concepts saw the Amish community come together to morn their children and comfort the widow of the man who killed them. Love thy neighbor as thyself.

As you are reminded, look back a few weeks – Iran held a conference to deny fact, to deny what the Nazis had done sixty years ago when they murdered Gypsies, homosexuals, Sorb, Jew and Christian.

Genocide spawned by the denial of human rights, and belief or faith. It was the belief in that there was an “Aryan Race” – that some blond hair, blue eye, genome marked a “master race”. It is perverse that the belief also held that this master species should be lead by a black hair, brown eyed, Fuhrer.

A few weeks back, people gathered to deny their own scripture – both Bible and Koran – with the invocation that: "Thanks to people's wishes and God's will the trend for the existence of the Zionist regime (Israel) is downwards and this is what God has promised and what all nations want."

Three days before the first Hanukkah light was lit, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proclaimed Iran, “the home of all freedom seekers of the world. Here you can express your views and exchange opinions in a friendly, brotherly and free atmosphere."

This is a season of peace, love and rejoicing. It is the season of all faith and belief. It is the time of year which, since the dawn of human intelligence, has been a time of gathering and reflection. Reflect.

All too many see the conference, and its denial of historic reality, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel described it; as a meeting which "shows the danger of the situation Israel is in and in particular the threat that Israel lives under;” but that danger is minor compared to the danger to all of humanity.

Destroy Israel and Christianity loses its scriptural basis, its prophecies become false; while the Koran appears to find fulfillment. Pragmatic reality is far worse – any conflict which can reach Israel stops the oil, cripples economies and deprives western machines of war their fuel.

We live in interesting times. We live in an age of global warming, melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and widespread denial of reality. Is there any doubt why the Chinese deemed life “in interesting times” to be a curse? Welcome to the Holiday season.

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