The spirit of Christmas at a time of world upheaval

by Auld Stock

THE world is in a bad way.

Thousands of innocent people, young and old, are being murdered daily.

The Russian rascal Putin interfered in the election in Georgia. Like his predecessor, Joseph Stalin, poking his snotty rose into other people’s affairs.

In short, the world is in a total mess.

Democracy is threatened across the globe.

It is at times like this our nation should appreciate the freedom and democracy we enjoy.

There is peace in the North after years of death and suffering.

No matter what views we have on the current political situation in the Republic, the recent general election was above board and run in an efficient and impartial manner, democracy at its best.

Christmas is upon us, marking the birth of the Child Jesus.

The feast has been highly commercialised; this the way of the modern world, everything changes in time, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

However, the spirit of Christmas lives on and there is goodwill and friendship amongst our people, young and old.

We live in a wonderful country; like most people in different parts of the world we have our failures and drawbacks.

However, there is a spirit of goodness in the hearts and minds of the majority of Irish people.

There are times when we are too self-critical of this little nation or ours.

In my time I have lived through good times and bad times.

We are now living in the best times in the history of our country. We should all be proud of our country and the manner in which it has progressed since the foundation of our state.

Look after yourself and your families at Christmas and in the new year.