Seasons Greetings! Perhaps some of you will disagree with my message for the upcoming year. A few may even be offended. Just the same, I share with you my hopes and observations for 2008. I am not using this as an opportunity to endorse a candidate for president. Neither am I making some attempt to convey some sort of powerful homily destined to change the hearts and minds of the masses. I simply take this time to reflect back on 2007 and pray for our world in 2008.

A few of you will recall back in 1984, a group of musicians collaborated forming “Band-Aid,” which raised awareness of the crisis in Ethiopia. Today, you can still hear their famous song played on the radio during the holidays, “Do they know its Christmas?” The group was reorganized in 1989 and 2004 as well. Each album was quite successful. Today, our brothers and sisters in Africa still cry out for our help. More often than not, their cries go unheard. Recall the words of that powerful song:

“It’s Christmastime There’s no need to be afraid At Christmastime, we let in light and we banish shade … And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy … Throw your arms around the world at Christmastime. But say a prayer … Pray for the other ones … At Christmastime it’s hard, but when you’re having fun … There’s a world outside your window … And it’s a world of dread and fear … Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears … And the Christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom … Well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you … And there won’t be snow in Africa this Christmastime … The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life … (Oooh) Where nothing ever grows … No rain nor rivers flow … Do they know it’s Christmastime at all? … (Here’s to you) raise a glass for everyone … (Here’s to them) underneath that burning sun … Do they know it’s Christmastime at all?”

I heard that song while driving from store to store loading my car with gifts, and I realized that life is certainly taken for granted isn’t it? When I think of all the petty things I complain about, hearing that song really manages to somehow put it all into perspective. To be honest, I have it quite good no matter how “bad” things may seem to get.

Life has not been so
good
for some of our brothers and sisters the world over during 2007. Violence, death, senseless crimes, and destruction have happened in a wide variety of places. From Sudan to Nebraska, from Iraq to Colorado, from North Korea to Virginia Tech … life has certainly been taken for granted. One has to step back, look at it all and say, “What on earth is happening here? What has become of the human race?”

On May 14th, 1985, Cardinal Joseph Bernadin issued what has become his famous “womb to tomb” theory on life. In his address, Bernadin states:

“I am not suggesting that society should be a prisoner of violence or violent crime. On the contrary, the consistent ethic of life requires that society struggle to eradicate poverty, racism and other systemic forces which nurture and encourage violence. Similarly, the perpetrators of violence should be punished and given the opportunity to experience a change of heart and mind. … What does it say about the quality of our life when people celebrate the death of another human being? What does it say about the human spirit when some suggest a return to public executions which only twenty years ago we would have considered barbaric? … We must find ways to break the cycle of violence which threatens to strangle our land. We must find effective means of protecting and enhancing human life.”

So we find ourselves at the conclusion of 2007. Our brave soldiers continue to lose their lives in a war, for which the motives still confuse many American people. These heroic men and women have seen things that nobody their age, or any age deserve to see. I would like to take a moment to refer once again to the famous address by Bernadin:

“… Obviously such questions as war, aggression and capital punishment have been with us for centuries; they are not new. What is new is the context in which these ancient questions arise, and the way in which a new context shapes the content of our ethic of life. … Within the United States, the struggle to appreciate human worth more fully is found in the civil rights movement and in the public debate about our foreign policy toward totalitarian regimes of both the right and the left. … Faced with the threat of nuclear war and escalating technological developments, the human family encounters a qualitatively new range of moral problems. Today, life is threatened on a scale previously unimaginable.”

War isn’t the only threat to life on earth as we know it. According to the IUCN, there are now 41,415 species on the Red List. 16,306 of them are threatened with extinction, up from 16,118 last year. The total number of extinct species has reached 785.

Back on the home front in 2007, our poor, continue to suffer due to lack of health care. Meanwhile, American health insurance agencies continue to become more and more wealthy. The “No Child Left Behind” movement has done more harm than good, test scores decrease, school violence increases. We even heard news of an elderly woman who was beaten by a member of law enforcement because her lawn was too tall according to city regulations.

In 2007, former Vice President Al Gore authored a book entitled “The Assault on Reason,” in which he states:

“It is too easy-and too partisan-to simply place the blame on the policies of President George W. Bush. We are all responsible for the decisions our country makes. We have a Congress. We have an independent judiciary. We have checks and balances. We are a nation of laws. We have free speech. We have a free press. Have they all failed us? Why has America’s public discourse become less focused and clear, less reasoned? Faith in the power of reason-the belief that free citizens can govern themselves wisely and fairly by resorting to logical debate on the basis of the best evidence available, instead of raw power-remains the central premise of American democracy. This premise is now under assault.”

Meanwhile, we recognize that there are other parts of the world, in addition to our own homeland, that genuinely need help. However, our leaders, and in many ways you and I, according to Gore, turn a blind eye. Disgusting and self driven politics, not morality, not genuine love for mankind and its greater good, and certainly not regard for life of any kind, were the crude fuel that powered our country in 2007. There have been urban legends throughout 2007 that make mention of the term “God Bless America” being removed from our currency. Given the present state of America, God needs to bless this land now more than ever.

In his Christmas address to the faithful. The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, expressed his wish that the light of Christ, “which comes to enlighten every human being,” would “shine forth and bring consolation to those who live in the darkness of poverty, injustice and war; to those who are still denied their legitimate aspirations for a more secure existence, for health, education, stable employment, for fuller participation in civil and political responsibilities, free from oppression and protected from conditions that offend against human dignity.”

The Pope continued: “It is the most vulnerable members of society — women, children, the elderly — who are so often the victims of brutal armed conflicts, terrorism and violence of every kind, which inflict such terrible sufferings on entire populations.”

“At the same time, ethnic, religious and political tensions, instability, rivalry, disagreements, and all forms of injustice and discrimination are destroying the internal fabric of many countries and embittering international relations. Throughout the world the number of migrants, refugees and evacuees is also increasing because of frequent natural disasters, often caused by alarming environmental upheavals.”

War, disaster, and upheavals were not the only issues to face us in 2007. Morals and values were also at an all time low. But is it much of a surprise really when our young people look to role models such as the Spears sisters, Lindsay Lohan, Michael Vick, Barry Bonds, and Paris Hilton? A cast member of Disney’s popular film among children, “High School Musical,” surfaces in photos wearing no clothing whatsoever, and Disney still agrees to allow the cast member to star in upcoming sequels. What message does this send to our youth?

Here in Kansas, the heartland of this country, our youngest unwed mother was 12, our youngest marriage was a 15 year old and our youngest divorce was at age 13. On the average day, Kansas saw 112 live births and 31 abortions. We also had 52 marriages and 25 divorces. These statistics are absolutely appalling and yet we turn a blind eye.

In 2008, let’s pray in particular for peace and the victims of social injustice. Pray also in a special way that our leaders will recognize where we as a military belong and where we do not. That they will make decisions based more on morality and the good of the people than self centered politics.

Remember those in Africa, in the Middle East, and right here in our own back yard, those who cry out in the bleak midwinter’s night. Those who cry, but are not heard or worse yet … ignored. Remember our brothers and sisters, pray for them always. May they have peace and comfort and may that spirit of kindness, justice, and mercy warm their hearts in the upcoming year.

Let’s pray also for ourselves. As the earth falls deeper and deeper into crisis, may we come to understand and appreciate the concept of true brotherhood. We saw our share of disasters and joined together for the cause, but why must disaster strike for us to demonstrate genuine care and concern for our fellow man? Surely, we can do much better in 2008.

Remember our young people, its no surprise so many of them commit suicide or commit acts violence and immorality. Pray that they may be enlightened to recognize when so called role models are really nothing more than train wrecks made to seem glamorous by mainstream media. Our youth fight in a very difficult war … the war to save their souls from drowning in a sea of confusion and evil. Pray that they may be strong, and embrace true heroes, who will light the way. Genuine examples are so desperately needed in 2008.

Pray for the earth and her creatures, who fall victim to our selfish deeds. These are victims, we rely on. These are victims that more often than not have no means to defend themselves from our ways.

And during this holiday season and throughout the new year, call to mind the words of that special song by Band-Aid,

“Say a prayer … Pray for the other ones … At Christmastime it’s hard, but when you’re having fun … There’s a world outside your window … And it’s a world of dread and fear … Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears … And the Christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom … Well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you.”

Born in Kansas, Jeremy “Basil” Dannebohm is a freelance writer who specializes in works of humorous fiction. Mr. Dannebohm enjoys reading the works of Jack Kerouac, Truman Capote, Jean Shephard, and other great authors. In addition to being a contributing author to Cynic Online Magazine, Dannebohm is the Editor-in-Chief of “Uniquely Basil: An Online Arts & Humor Haven.” In his spare time, Jeremy enjoys black and white photography, sampling various wines, and attending events of cultural edification.