Charles Dickens message to the world falls on deaf ears

One thing that can be counted on during the Christmas season is a variety of television shows, cartoons, and movies that render adaptations of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol.

Almost every one of the stories about Scrooge that I have viewed over the decades has remained 100% or close to it when it comes to the wording of the script. Hearing the same thing over and over every December, you would assume that many each year would heed the message that Dickens was trying to convey.

Instead, it seems that school plays, church pageants, movies, theater productions, and feature films simply have people enjoying the entertainment but not keeping Christmas in their hearts as Scrooge said he would do.

Early in the story, two men seek a donation for the poor from Ebeneezer but are met with rebuke instead. Scrooge asks if there are no workhouses and prisons to house the disadvantaged. When he is told yes, but many would rather die than go to one of these places, Ebeneezer gives a chilling reply. He responds with " Let them die and decrease the surplus population."

This hateful response appears to be the attitude of the rich today. Consider those in Congress and the Senate, who are making the kind of money that most Americans can only imagine. They live in the lap of luxury, courtesy of the citizens of this nation.

US citizens are losing jobs and homes and are unable to feed their families. How cold and unfeeling must you be to take the premise of Scrooge, even if you don't utter the words? How can anyone make decisions that would hurt the least of these among us and sleep at night?

In a Christmas Carol Bob Cratchet tells his wife, that as he and Tiny Tim were at a holiday worship service that his son made a startling statement. Tim said he hoped that people would look at his condition and "remember upon Christmas Day, He who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see".

Ebeneezer Scrooge, according to the script, was "As good as his word." After his visitation by the Ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, he kept Christmas in his heart every day of the year. He gave to the poor and made sure that Tiny Tim did not die.

Scrooge saw the light and was reborn as a caring, loving man. He let go of his past selfish ways and did better with his life by helping the less fortunate. The miser parted with his money and helped his nephew as well as Bob Cratchit and his family.

How long will people watch and read this tale, and simply be entertained and go back to their selfish ways? The thought of Tiny Tim dying, the cane in the corner without an owner, opened the eyes of the miser. What will it take for wealthy Americans to have compassion for the homeless, ill, and those who cannot provide for their families?

Charles Dickens penned this story based on his own personal situation. He worked hard from a very early age because his parents and siblings were placed in a workhouse because they could not pay their bills. This was the fate of the poor in Dickens day.

This year, if you read or watch A Christmas Carol, take heed to the message that is clear as day and determine that you will have your own epiphany. Keep in mind the reason for the season, reach out and help the poor by giving of your wealth, and make this world a better place.

Love and kindness are always better than selfishness and indifference. Don't allow your ears to tune out what Dickens was trying to convey. Instead, make his dream a reality. Remember that the holiday is about the birth of Christ, who emphasized helping the least among us. Merry Christmas.