Sunday, December 25, is Christmas Day, which commemorates the birth of prophet Jesus Christ on whom the Christian religion is based. We wish all our Christian readers worldwide a Merry Christmas and present to you this timely philosophical article.
To gain the full benefit of Sir Frank’s philosophical passage, imagine the year is 0028 A.D and you are in Jerusalem reading a local newspaper, which headline reads:
What we allow to happen helps mold us into what we become.
The importance of showing appreciation for any kind deed or gesture can never be over emphasized.
Jerusalem: The prestigious presentation of the annually coveted ‘Thank you’ Awards took place here last night amidst a freak sandstorm that destroyed many celebrity tents and caused a mass camel stampede.
Despite the adverse weather conditions, thousands of adoring fans from all age groups, braved the inhospitable elements and patiently gathered outside the famous Coliseum Entertainment Centre hoping to get a glimpse of their favorite gladiator, lion-tamer, and other luminaries from the worlds of entertainment, politics, and sport.
Superstar Jesus Christ, the tall, bearded, and handsome young philosopher briefly attended the event after his capacity-packed ‘Sermon on the Mount’ performance where, for the first time, he recited his philosophical new run-away success ‘The Lord’s Prayer’.
Jesus was expected to scoop the pool of gold awards for his humane and compassionate deeds throughout the year, but, disappointedly, he succeeded in getting only one.
This angered the star-studded audience who rose to their feet, roared their disapproval and openly accused officials of corruption and rigging the results.
Popular local identity and entrepreneur Frank Peters, who in protest had walked out during the awards ceremony, said he was “shocked, outraged, and saddened” that Jesus had received only one ‘Thank You’ award despite having saved the lives of many people, including ten lepers.
Jesus, who wore a loose-fitting seamless red robe, hand-made by his mother, Mary, showed no surprise or anger and sat meditatively towards the back throughout the supercharged controversial proceedings.
“I am not as forgiving as Jesus,” said Mr Peters, who was visibly angry and upset.
“Without doubt, this has been the greatest travesty of justice of the century which will abhor many generations to come,” he told a media conference this morning.
“If this gifted young man cannot receive even a ‘Thank You’ for every life he saves, there is little or no hope for any of us ever being thanked for anything that we would do. How can saving a life be compared to any financial goodwill gesture we would perform?
“How could our deeds even come close to matching his?” he asked.
“This has created a precedent of the worst kind,” he continued. “It’s a heart-breaking, absurd thought, but it’s now it’s crystal clear to me that unless we wish to face disappointment, nobody should ever expect a ‘thank you’ from anyone — EVER!”
Raising his voice, so members of the media in the back could hear, he went on to say, “It is a black day in our history. A great injustice has been done to Mr Jesus Christ, which reflects poorly upon all of us individually and collectively. What we allow to happen helps mold us into what we become,” he added.
BAD MANNERS
Professor Nazmul Islam Jibon, a human behavioral analyst from Palestine University, told this writer that bad manners and inconsideration in general were flaws of character, but not confined just to lepers.
“It is common, particularly in disadvantaged inner tent areas, but the main cause is sub-standard education and poor upbringing,” he said.
“Expressing thanks, seemingly, is no longer the norm. Sadly, it’s a sign of the times, which we must learn to accept and learn to live with.
“There will be some good, decent and honorable people who will always keep the noble tradition alive, but we should not expect too much from people in general who are unable to experience thanks-giving. Generous allowances must be made for the unaware and uneducated and we, ourselves who know what is right, must teach by example.
“I feel the man they call Jesus would act in that way,” Professor Jibon said.
Mr Peters said he would continue to thank those to whom he’s grateful irrespective of the current trends and bad manners that he finds inexcusable and deplorable.
“A gesture of kindness extended is a previous ‘thank you’ remembered,” he said.
It was mooted earlier this year to make the prestigious ‘’Thank You’ Awards an all-Europe event and include Syria, Damascus, and other countries in the prestigious awards program, but the fiasco last night appears to have dampened the enthusiasm of some pro-international organizers.
Most officials today were being very tight-lipped about the future of ‘Thank You’ in general as the most appropriate expression of gratitude despite its financially economic attributes, which costs nothing to give, but is priceless to receive.
One well-known councilor, who wishes to remain anonymous, said,
“The fabric of society on the whole is fraying at the ends. The ‘Thank you’ controversy is another indication of this sorrowful erosion and, yes, it’s sad … very sad. We all suffer as a consequence. We should all express thanks to those who have been kind enough to give.
“It should be made abundantly clear, however, that under the rules of the existing honors system Mr Jesus Christ could have won at least ten ‘Thank You’ award trophies, if not more, but the reality is, he was nominated for the award by only one of the ten lepers and nobody else.
“We must always remember, it’s the sole responsibility of the beneficiary of any kindness or courtesy, big or small, to thank the benefactor and not anyone else,” he said.
Peter, an apostle and spokesman for Jesus Christ, said Jesus was undaunted by the snub and that his mission was to enrich humanity from the heart outwards, promote compassion for the good of all and not become entangled with frivolous man-made distractions.
Today, Jesus, whose popularity and philosophical uptake is rapidly gaining momentum, was visiting the sick and distributing clothing and food to the homeless and disadvantaged people in outer villages. He was not available for comment.
