When you measure success in terms of money and things, you measure it in earthly material things, and you are settring yourself up for disappointement. by Mark Vogl
(conservative)
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thanksgiving is a great day every year.
My brother Kevin, in Florida, and a friend in New York, Rick, who recently suffered a fairly major personal defeat, expressed the exact same feelings about Thanksgiving to me. They both said that Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. They both said they enjoyed it so much for two reasons: First, because it is all about family. Second, because it is not about gifts or materialism! Both of these men are far more financially successful than me, and both them rejected materialism and see Thanksgiving for its non- materialist side.
For me, my favorite holiday is Christmas. I love the possibility of a white Christmas, to me a very romantic possibility. And I love the beauty of the Christmas season, the wreaths and decorated trees. I love the carols, and the memories. One of those memories was in high school when I went Christmas caroling through a snow-covered hamlet, Baldwin, New York as a member of the high school choir.
Christmas is also my favorite because of the movies. There are so many really good movies about Christmas. "The Bishop's Wife," not the newer version but the older one with Cary Grant. All the movies about Dicken's Christmas Carol. And, Bing Crosby's White Christmas...one that always brings tears.
But there is one movie above all others. One movie which blends Christmas, with America, and God. One movie where a kinda goofy angel plays a central role in the making of the story. "A Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed is the movie of lifetime.
And when you watch "A Wonderful Life" you can't help but realize that even in desperate economic times, even through personal hard times, you can be unbelievably happy. You see clearly what is most important, family and God. You see where living right, working hard, setting the right priorities will in the long run provide a full harvest of the best in life.
Now some may pooh-pooh what I am writing here. Some may say," Well, that's only in movies. Life isn't like that. You can't be poor and happy. To those who would say that, I pray for you. I pray you will find God. I pray that you will meet Christ.
"A Wonderful Life" illustrates the difference between Tea Partiers and the left, and neo-cons on the right. "A Wonderful Life" is not about materialism, but about values, about opportunity, about blessings, about doing good in your life. And it is about the centrality of Christianity in one's life, and the community.
As America faces imminent economic peril, and even possible depression, watching "A Wonderful Life" just might help each of us reckon with the future. We can remember ahead of the disaster, we can realize that if all our PhD’s and universities, all our MBA;s and CEO's, and computers, and Wall Street can't resolve the issues they themselves have created, there is One who can. The Christmas season may be the most active retails sales period in a year, but more than that it bring baby Jesus front and center, and provides an opportunity for individual, community and nation to consider an alternative set of priorities.
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The views expressed
in this article are those of Mark Vogl only and
do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates.
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