St. Kitts’ Prime Minister Douglas wishes his countrymen to nuture inner peace this Christmas
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas is wishing his country use the celebration of Christmas 2008 to nuture inner-peace to achieve positive goals and to use the example of Joseph and Mary to nurture strong and stable societies.
“Across cultures and religions and continents, then, since the dawn of time, inner peace has always been viewed as one of life’s richest and most precious blessings because inner peace is so essential for all that is truly good to occur – whether in the lives of individuals, or in the fate of nations,” Dr. Douglas said in his traditional Christmas Message on radio and television.
“Within the sound of my voice on this Christmas Day, I know, are individuals in a wide range of circumstances. There are the young and the old. The rich and the poor. The healthy and the ill. The joyous and the sad. But on this Christmas Day, that special verse applies to us all: ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ reminds us of the importance of calming our hearts and our souls……controlling our anxieties and our rage….halting the vulgarities….the indifference….the rivalries and fears……and all of the excesses that lead to the problems that are breaking societies apart, all over the world. We must, then, seek this self-control, this inner calm, as the first step in our pursuit of other goals,” Prime Minister Douglas.
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He said inner calm is important during this Christmas season “when the pressure to buy what we cannot afford is so strong; it is important during carnival when the impulse to go overboard on the drinking and the eating and awful-behaviour-parading-as-dance will be strong; and it is important during this time of growing global stresses and uncertainty…”</p>
<p>Citing the birth of Jesus over 2000 years ago, Prime Minister told the Nation that the character and decency of Mary and Joseph were such, and the Divine nature of the Christ child was such, that He grew up to present to mankind the ultimate blueprint as to how “we should relate to our children, how we should relate to our parents, how we should relate to everyone else, if we do, indeed, want societies that are sound, stable, and strong”</p>
<p>“Let us strive to make Christmas more than a time for buying this thing or that for ourselves or our friends. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of that, of course, but there are also amongst us many who are in no position to either give or receive gifts – that is, as we have traditionally defined the word “gift”. </p>
<p> The fact is, however, that life’s most precious gifts often cannot be bought in stores, but come from the human heart. And so, it is my hope that just as the three wise men traveled great distances to honor a newborn baby two millennia ago, those of us whose hearts are light this morning will reach out to someone whose heart may be heavy….who may be lonely…or ill……..or hard-pressed….in an attempt to make their hearts just a little bit lighter, too. For that is the true meaning of Christmas,” said Prime Minister Douglas.</p>
<p>He called on his fellow Kittitians and Nevisians who have rightly condemned the gangs and their unending hatreds to reach out to that neighbour, a sibling, or a past associate to whom, for some long forgotten reason, they have refused to speak for years or the persons whose eyes they have studiously avoid on the streets.</p>
<p>“The years are rushing by. If unending hatreds are unhealthy in certain segments of our society, then they are unhealthy in all segments. Let us, therefore, find the courage to reach out to that neighbour, that sibling, that past associate during this Christmas season – for it is these small gestures that give Christmas its magic. It is these small gestures that will transform us, at last, into a blessed community,” said Prime Minister Douglas.</p>
<p>Referring to the national consultation on crime attended by his Cabinet, the Nevis Island Administration Cabinet, religious ministers, doctors, nurses, educators, lawyers, police officials, opposition parties, college and high school students, the business community and non-Governmental Organisations, Prime Minister Douglas said winning the battle against gang violence will demand that each and everyone of steps forward becomes fully and actively involved. </p>
<p>“I urge all of the mothers and all of the fathers…..I urge all of the children and each and everyone one of us to step forward to help to build the blessed community we all long for. I urge that in ways big and small, on matters pertaining to behavior and standards, respect for self and others, on this Christmas Day and always, we reach out to each other and raise our standards in a spirit of hope, sacrifice, and respect. Let us do this so that beyond the walls of our churches, and throughout our society at large, we will, together, give new meaning and new power to that special ritual that we call ‘the peace,’” said Prime Minister Douglas.</p>
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