R. Bruce Anderson
This is the one time of the year when I beg everyone, myself included, to avoid talking about politics. Grinning, complaining, lamenting, whining, planning a real estate investment in Greenland… around the table, in front of the game, in the study after playing “a few times” with my brother-in-law. So…or in this column. Shi.
It’s a strange blur as we juggle the commitments between the summer solstice, Christmas, and New Years – celebrating, feasting, arguing with family, meeting new family members, leaving the table. It’s time to say goodbye to those who aren’t there and embrace the new meaning of the season.
This is why we celebrate, cheer, eat so much food that we end up exhausted but full around January 1st. We often travel to faraway places for family, friends we don’t see often, or simply to “vacation” at least for a short period of time with the people we love most.
It’s a fun season. We are reminded that our first-year students, all of them, are heading home for the first time since the hurricane, finishing another semester, taking new steps toward their goals, and preparing for a break.
Florida is a target for this festival. Congestion on Interstate 95, Interstate 75, and Interstate 4 is always a traffic nightmare, but it’s especially bad. Airports are packed with people and flights are canceled (not because of the weather, but because the weather in a million other places is spilling its havoc to all the flight paths leading to Orlando, Miami, Tampa, and Jacksonville) Our beaches, our parks, our entertainment, our people, our food, our music, our culture – it attracts the world beyond the holidays, and we love it when the holidays begin. It’s a place where people escape.
For those interested in anime, it may be a treat to watch. There is so much to do, so much to see, so many people to connect and reconnect.
Unless you are lonely, near lonely, or feeling lonely.
This is a painful and devastating time of the year for people who may be living perfectly well in their daily lives, but when the pressure to start a family is so great, it’s hard to believe that starting a family is the right time to start a family. do not have. Or maybe you’re missing someone in your circle, or you’re just facing a big challenge yourself. they are hurt. Illness, financial hardship, depression, and anxiety all hit harder when your surroundings are filled with joy.
For many, this can be a frightening time of unmet expectations, impossible emotional demands, and memories of loss. The pressure of judging and evaluating the past year (especially in a new year) can be insurmountable, and for some it is difficult to see the light of day, let alone win.
I think this is a time to discover our empathic nature. It’s about reaching out in a meaningful way to those who are struggling, and it’s about being joyful.
‘Volunteering is a reward’: Polk County Meals on Wheels delivers 120,000 meals a year
I come from a large family of five sisters and one brother (my parents are deceased). Growing up, we seemed big enough and close enough that when someone was feeling down, someone to step in with a kind word or gesture, to talk a little, to make them a cup of tea. is always there.
For many, this has to come from the community. Kindness is a great commodity.
I think if we could all be a little more conscious and a little more sensitive to those who may be having issues during the holidays, we could support the true spirit and meaning of this season. They may be at a loss for good words, but a pat on the arm or a little bit of affection can do the trick. Wait a minute and recognize it.
Unfortunately, there are no direct benefits. Being merciful does not change your karma. That should be its own reward. However, there is a passage in the Bible that says exactly this:
“Remember to show love to strangers, for some have thereby entertained angels without realizing it” (Hebrews 13:2).
R. Bruce Anderson is the Sarah D. Kirk McKay, Jr. and L. Kirk McKay, Jr., Endowed Chair in American History, Government, and Civics, and the Miller Chair of Florida Southern College. He is also a Distinguished Professor of Political Science. He is a columnist for The Ledger and a political consultant and on-air commentator for WLKF Radio in Lakeland.
