Image: K. Simmonds

By Doug Collins

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Hope is all we have left

Dec 25, 2022 | 7:45 AM

This is a time when our faith, if we are believers, is challenged.

For many, it is a time of desperation. So much senseless violence. The rights of our Aboriginal peoples trampled, prejudice against people of colour soaring, assaults against our democratic institutions abounding.

So much to be sad about. Homelessness on the rise, drug deaths up, seniors being left behind by the government. And the list goes on.

Rights against women trampled, as evidenced by the overturning of Roe versus Wade, and the termination of the right of women to attend university in places like Afghanistan.

Anti-Semitism is back, if it ever went away, So much hatred toward the LBGTQ+ community, often by people who think the Bible speaks against the LBGTQ+ community, when many Biblical scholars suggest that the one or two references in the Bible to same-sex relationships, and that’s all there are, often are misinterpreted and used erroneously. That’s a subject for another day. But I digress.

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People are panicking because they are struggling to make ends meet. They’re not worried about presents today, they’re worried where their next meal is coming from. It’s today’s stark reality.

At these times, I am drawn to Alexander Pope’s “An Essay on Man”. It was written in the early 1700’s. There is a famous line in that poem, and I quote “Hope springs eternal in the breast of man.” In short, dictionaries suggest it refers to hoping for a certain outcome even if it seems unlikely to happen.

For many, hope and faith are what we have to grasp to stay afloat. And today, at least in the Christian faith, this is the day that represents that hope the most.

For those who have a faith, and even if we don’t, it is a day to reflect on the good things we have, not the things we don’t. And to thank those who continue to reach out to help, first responders, hospital workers, those who run housing and shelters for those in need, despite the challenges of the cold weather and finding facilities to use.

It is hard to see past the negatives, especially when it’s been such a tumultuous year, but hope does spring eternal, and it’s up to all of us to live our lives holding on to our hope.

On behalf of all of us at Pattison Media, we wish you hope, faith and joy at this special time of year.

I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.