“A fight is going on inside me,” said an old man to his son. “It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The same fight is going on inside you.”
The son thought about it for a minute and then asked, “Which wolf will win?”
The old man replied simply, “The one you feed.”
This quote from Wendy Mass in her young people’s book, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, in many ways sums up what Christmas is, or at least, should be about. A time of joy, peace and hope. It is also a time for giving.
However, with the rampant commercialisation of Christmas, sometimes the focus can be on the receiving. The Christmas mantra has almost become: “Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men, and Batteries not Included.” We celebrate the birth of one who told us to give everything to the poor, by giving each other Christmas tree lights – without the batteries! As Bart Simpson, ironically, once said: “Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You know, the birth of Santa”.
Christmas can also be a stressful time, especially for some families, and not just because of the tangled Christmas tree lights. For some families, Christmas is the season when you buy this year’s gifts with next year’s money.
But happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.
For Rotarians the season for ‘giving’ is, in fact, the whole year. Rotarians truly know which wolf to feed.
The central tenet of Rotary’s ‘Service above Self’ sits firmly with the Christmas Message of giving.
As with every year, Eastern Hutt Rotarians, with help from partners and whanau, have in the last year given $30,000 to local charities, community groups, schools, and overseas programmes, including:
- Emergency Response Kits (thanks for your inspiration, Dave Wilson)
- Fiji Dental Project
- Providing resources for Mozambique families
We have given of our time for:
- Mental health with our ‘Walk for Mental Health’
- ‘Healthy in the Hutt’ which involves about 20 community organisations
- Te Omanga Golf tournament fundraiser & maintenance projects
- Riverbank clean-ups
…. and the list goes on
We should be exceedingly proud of our endeavours, and our response to help others.
The work of Rotary volunteers impacts all our lives, even if we are not aware of it.
So, in the spirit of Christmas, I thank you all, for all you have given over the last year to this Club and the wider community. My best wishes to you and your whanau for a joyous and merry Christmas, and a happy New Year.