Make an effort to remember the reason for the season

By Tony Farkas

In my daily traipsing through the ever-darkening forest of news headlines, I find myself thinking of a song lyric.

It’s not just recently, mind you, but every year at this time.

I’ve always thought that the season of Christmas should be used as a reset for everything — relationships, personal grooming, social interaction and even discourse between nations — since it’s the celebration of the birth of Christ.

The lyric, by the way, is from John Lennon’s “Happy Christmas “War is Over”: “So this is Christmas, and what have you done?”

I really thing it should be changed, or at least paraphrased in perpetuity, to “So this is Christmas. What did you do?”, since it seems to me that the focus of most of the world has changed. Instead of committing to peace and helping our fellow planet dwellers, the commitment is to see what we can get for ourselves.

In my headline journey this week, the Ukraine is angry because no one will give them money, guns and aid to destroy their enemies; Israel is being lambasted for defending themselves from terrorist attacks, all while being blamed for making people attack; our government is telling us how much more special meals like Thanksgiving will cost, or that Christmas trees will cost 20 percent more, while at the same time saying that the economy is robust and growing like weeds; the Texas border continues to resemble a sieve in that thousands of illegal immigrants still pour across the border; and even Hunter Biden is blaming Republicans for his alleged illegal activities.

You sure can add so many more things to this list, and very little of it will be good.

My gut tells me that this is due to a change in focus from “we” to “me,” but on a global scale. Groups demand that their wants and needs are paramount to any others and want governments to be the guarantor of equity and equality. Anyone not falling into lockstep must be doxed, banned and even imprisoned; companies will be boycotted; children will be boycotted; countries and religious groups will be attacked.

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Also, try not to be white and Christian, because that is just all you need to be labeled a demon.

Regardless of your religious belief, I’ll paraphrase (again) Burton “Gus” Guster and say, “We all need Jesus.”

I’m not suggest that everyone convert to Christianity, but I am saying that Jesus preached love — for each other, for God (or Allah or YHWH or Buddha, et al), and it’s those tenets that not only need to be followed but embraced at every level.

Because if we ever want to save the planet, its people and ourselves, it needs to be together, not divided. Drop old grudges, forgive slights (both real and perceived), forego legacies of hate and start seeking answers for how everyone can survive and even thrive.

We’ve tried being combative throughout the history of history. It’s time for a new, all-encompassing approach.

It’s my hope to change the lyric to, “So this is Christmas. Look what we’ve done!” And do it without a trace of irony.

Tony Farkas is editor of the San Jacinto News-Times and the Trinity County News-Standard. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..