Earlier this month, I was asked what I would be doing for Christmas. I replied that after having arrived in Toronto on Christmas eve, I would be giving my first lecture at the US-Canada Pure Land Buddhist Retreat. On hearing my reply that I would be working, Cameo and Jim were probably both even happier they were taking me out to dinner with them! I thought of how I was looking forward to trip: lecturing on the Amitabha Sutra, participating in a retreat, seeing old friends.
After I got home that evening, I learned that in the United States, more people will have heart attacks today than any other day of the year. It's a combination of stress, too much partying, people not following their regular schedules and forgetting their medicine, and several other reasons. A day of celebration has, for too many people, become a day of anxiety and overindulgence.
And there is more. This is also the time of year the suicide rate increases as depression becomes more prevalent.
Regrets. Memories. Expectations. We think others are having fun but we’re not. We think by indulging ourselves and others, we’ll all be happy.
One of my favorite movies at this time of year is the 1951 movie, A Christmas Carol. Scrooge learned how to embody the spirit of Christmas by being considerate, by spending time with his family, and by giving small but needed gifts. Maybe he was on to something...