Scrooge's Question for Our Times: Hope or Doom?

For my family it has been a Christmas eve tradition to watch the George C. Scott version of Charles Dickens’ timeless “A Christmas Carol” each year. Over the course of three decades we’ve probably memorized all the scenes and half the lines, yet we still enjoy it as both entertainment and soul food.

It’s a strange story about an old miserly man, Ebeneezer Scrooge, who is visited by three ghosts. The first ghost shows him key moments from his past. The second, the Ghost of Christmas Present, gives him a tour of events taking place at this very moment in time.

Then, near the climax of the film, Scrooge is led to a snow-covered grave slab by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come whereupon he cries out, “Spirit, are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of the things that May be, only?” 

At its core, this statement addresses the distinction between fate and free will. Scrooge is inquiring whether the scenes he is witnessing, depicting a bleak and desolate future, are preordained and immutable or if they represent possibilities that can be altered through choices and actions. This inquiry has profound personal and societal implications.

On a personal level, Scrooge’s question prompts us to reflect on the choices we make and the potential for change in our own lives. It reminds us that our destinies are not set in stone but are shaped by our decisions and choices. Just as Scrooge had the agency to transform from a miserly, cold-hearted figure to a generous, compassionate one, so do we ourselves possess the power to redirect our own futures through acts of kindness, empathy, and selflessness.

I thought of these things today, in part, because of my concern about the future for our country. I see the disruption, the brokenness, the polarization, the lawlessness, the cruelty, the failures of our institutions and fear that I am watching a slow motion train wreck. Are we standing on the precipice of a national collapse?

I ask myself, “Are these current events the shadows of things that Will be, or are they only shadows of the things that May be?” 

It’s a call for reflection as the answer to this question will be determined by our collective choices. Let’s not be swept away by hysteria and hate. Mercy, humility and wisdom are the values we need to embrace. 

Are we witnessing a national train wreck? The future is in our hands.

A Christmas Day Reflection

Christmas offers us an opportunity to reflect on many universal themes: the birth of hope, the quest for salvation from a meaningless existence, a pathway out of our self-absorption to learn anew the meaning of love.

A child was born this day whom the prophet Isaiah wrote would be called the Prince of Peace. A somewhat remarkable "title" in a world so broken by conflict.

This child would one day teach us how to pray, beginning with the words "Our Father..."

"OUR." Not just "my" Father, but Our Father, a father for us all... each of us siblings in an amazing, diverse family that extends from ancient times to whatever lies ahead, made in God's image... creators, makers, lovers, helpers, persons. 

In 2022, let's be done with hate. Let mercy rule our hearts. Let's turn the page and make a renewed commitment to becoming our better selves.

Related Links

For Unto Us A Child Is Born (from Handel's Messiah)

O Henry's Famous Christmas Tale: The Gift of the Magi

The Day Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Heard The Bells

What Good Am I?

The season of Christmas is often associated with charity and is a time of giving. All too often, after the holidays we go back to our usual ways, neglectful of the spirit of this selfless season. In thinking about those less fortunate than us, I am reminded of this poignant song by Bob Dylan from his critically acclaimed 1989 album "Oh Mercy."

What Good Am I?

What good am I if I'm like all the rest,
If I just turned away, when I see how you're dressed,
If I shut myself off so I can't hear you cry,
What good am I?

What good am I if I know and don't do,
If I see and don't say, if I look right through you,
If I turn a deaf ear to the thunder in the sky,
What good am I?

What good am I while you softly weep
And I hear in my head what you say in your sleep,
And I freeze in the moment like the rest who don't try,
What good am I?

What good am I then to others and me
If I've had every chance and yet still fail to see?
If my hands tied must I not wonder within
Who tied them and why and where must I have been?

What good am I if I say foolish things
And I laugh in the face of what sorrow brings
And I just turn my back while you silently die,
What good am I?

Copyright © 1989 Special Rider Music