Clare's Blog

If I listed the Series of Unfortunate Events that have happened to me and mine over the last 12 months, you might not believe me.

And this is not touching on the global stuff that eats away at every human being with a heart for others: the continuing car crash that is Donald Trump; North Korea; the carnage and destruction of culture in Syria; the famine and the unbelievable blocking of supply ships to Yemen; the grim revelations of the Royal Commission; our leaders’ bipartisan support for inhuman treatment of refugees and ignoring of the global environmental crisis; most sullying of all, somehow, the never-ending stream of sexual harassment allegations.

The sadness I have experienced this year is all comparative, of course. My brushes with incurable disease are experienced within the cocoon of free cutting-edge health care. My family dramas occur within the framework of a clan and a community that has each other’s backs no matter what. Last week I read about a Rohingya woman who witnessed her husband and seven children being butchered. When it comes to anguish, I know nothing compared to the vast majority of all the humans who have ever lived.

But this is my reality. I feel our losses, conflicts, and ongoing health challenges keenly. Some mornings, as I walk to work – a practice that normally gives me energy and delight - I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders and it is all I can do not to weep with weariness. I, for one, cannot wait to see the back of 2017.

And yet. It’s Christmas, and that’s not nothing. I am a Christian, so for me this season’s rich story is a metaphor for God’s loving involvement with humanity and our planet. My belief that there is a great loving heart beating at the centre of the universe informs and breathes life into everything I do and am.

Even for secular souls, however - most of us in this country - Christmas can be a reminder of so much that is important:

Relationships are what matter most. Stories of yuletide family tension abound, but the fact is, most continue to choose to gather in groups – families, friends, communities – to eat and drink and celebrate together because human connections are what we most value.
For all the nauseating excess that prevails during the festive season, at the heart of Christmas is a practice of giving – to our dear ones and also to those outside our circle.
Holidays are vital; they refresh us and remind us that we are not indispensable, that the world turns just fine when we opt out for a while.
Most of all, the Christmas story is a reminder that humankind’s staggering capacity for cruelty and greed is matched by its endless varieties of creativity, compassion and wonder. That for every murderous King Herod, there is a baby who will grow up to live out radical inclusiveness and lay their lives on the line for peace.

This was published in The Melbourne Age on 24 December 2017