Just a week to go before the celebration of Christ’s birth and the spirit of the merriment is dying by the second.
Last Friday, my female classmate was assailed by two men, one if which pretended to be her husband. One of the assailants publicly declared that people should leave them alone because he has a personal business to settle with my classmate. The man’s sidekick, meanwhile pulled my classmate’s bag with mighty effort. Good thing a female vendor of Christmas lights identified her as a student, causing the assailants to flee.
The following day, a shooting occurred in Connecticut killing 20 children and six adults. Unlike the stories of gunmen tearing down a high school building, this shooting spree happened in an elementary school posing threats to nearby towns and the rest of American nation. More than a hundred children in Sandy Hook Elementary School are traumatized and scared of what will happen to them as they go to school.
Is there still a safe place in this world? That I ask myself amid the traffic and Christmas parties happening left and right. With the increasing number of crimes and innocent victims day by day, the answer to the question seems vague. There is too much darkness and evil in the hearts of men. Even the most friendly-looking face could be the next thief as soon as you turn your back.
We live by the moment. And every moment we do, there is somebody out there who is robbed of, assaulted, abducted or raped. It is a sad reality that we submit ourselves to. In the first incident I mentioned, the men have been identified by the police as notorious, committing crimes for countless times. The sad thing is the police cannot arrest the men because no one is brave enough to file a case. So their happy tripping goes on and many are becoming victims as of this writing.
The Christmas season is not only about enjoying and spending time with friends and family. It is also about caring and extending a hand to those who have been aggrieved. There were many people who witnessed my classmate being attacked but no one helped, except for that female vendor and a friend. Her plea for help fell on deaf ears despite many onlookers.
The world is, indeed no longer safe. But I know a place where we can still be safe – our hearts. It is where we hide ourselves, our fears, struggles, and where we hold on to the belief that a baby boy born in a manger will save us from all the harm.
I pay my respects to those who were killed in the Connecticut shooting and I have to admit I am angry at those who harmed my classmate. But I rest in the truth that the miracle of the baby boy will make our hearts at peace.
An advance Merry Christmas to all the readers!
**Published in The Freeman newspaper on December 18, 2012
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