EDITORIAL - God, now more than ever

Judging by the scaled-down Christmas-related activities of people -- less shopping, less parties, less gift-giving, etc. -- this is probably the one Christmas in a generation where there is a trace of difficulty in saying Merry Christmas.

This is wrong, even if understandable. The country has been hit by a double whammy consisting of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake and a 300 kph plus supertyphoon described as the most powerful to ever make a landfall in recorded history.

The enormous losses in lives and property, not to mention great historical and cultural treasures, and the sheer disruption of lives and hopes, all of these have led not a few to question not just the future and life as we know it, but even faith.

Again this is wrong. For life, no matter how difficult now than before, must go on. Nobody is so helpless and hopeless that he cannot go on with the greatest gift he probably ever received in his life -- his life itself. Those who are alive today have been chosen to receive this gift.

To have been spared is the greatest gift there is. The disasters that visited this country did not choose whom to take away. There was nothing specific in their terrible reaping. To have survived such random toll-taking is nothing short of a miracle.

And there is the gift. For there is no one who is capable of plucking miracles from utter desolation except God. That you have been chosen is the gift for which you need to be thankful for the rest of your life. So be on your way to give thanks.

And the best way to give thanks is to be happy. God never intended sorrow as its own reason but that misery can be the measure by which we experience our happiness. For we are but mortals. We are not divine. We can never appreciate happiness on its own. We need to contrast it against something to get the picture.

And so, therefore, it is still a happy Christmas. In fact, it ought to be the happiest Christmas of our lives. The earthquake and the typhoon should have made us stronger and better persons. So go, spread the joy around. Smile at a neighbor. Greet a friend, hug a loved one. Merry Christmas everyone.