December 5, 2013 (Thursday)
Yesterday two movies based on Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” featuring our old friend, Ebeneezer Scrooge, were shown on T.V. It’s that season of the year and movies about Scrooge will be shown many times again this year.
Dickens did a masterful job of showing us how a person can begin his life in the right way but slowly but surely can begin living selfishly, and do so to the point of becoming an evil person.
I love the ghosts in the story–Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Furture. Every time the story is presented today, the story tellers give their own twists to the ghostly displays. Some are comical and others are horrifying. I played the part of Scrooge in a high school play. I was good at being bad.
The moral lesson always comes through, no matter what approach is taken in presenting it. That lesson, I think, is that happiness comes to those who hold on to moral values which honor and respect one’s fellow human beings.
Long ago Jesus was asked, “Which is the greatest commandment?” He replied, “Love God with everything that is within you and love your neighbor as yourself.” This is a lesson we cannot hear too much, and we will always have opportunities to put it into practice, every day of every year as long as we live.