A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE		    12/10/02

Our lives are materially better than they were in generations past but, there 
is an imbalance.   Though we may not think so, we seem to be living more for 
ourselves and this isn’t the way it was supposed to be.

We read the daily newspapers and grimace at the increasing decay in our world, 
giving little thought, if any, to the fact that some of that decay may be a 
part of our own making.  No doubt, we are all inclined to ask -- How can I 
be responsible for something I am not involved with?  The answer to that, 
dear friends, is that we have been involved from the very first day that we 
were born and technology is rapidly making our non-involvement more direct 
and more critical.  

Modern technology is shrinking the world we live in and unbeknown to us, we 
are shrinking with it.  We have become less visible, more reserved, and, sad 
to say, being apathetic has become more normal than being more outgoing.  
This being so, we must try to become a more visible part of our world again.   
In short, we must get more meaningfully involved again.   It is important 
for us to feel needed and to once again get that old feeling of wholesome 
satisfaction.  And to do this, we must become a part of our world rather 
than becoming apart from it.   We must have concern for ourselves as well 
as for others and they, in turn, must also have concern for us.  To gain 
respect, we must give respect.  

The societies we are a part of must be far better with us in it than out of 
it.  We are offsprings of the not-too-distant past but even more important, 
we are the ones who are presently in the wheelhouse steering our lives into 
the future.   

We must stop condemning others for the outcome of problems we have not taken 
an active part in solving.   Our world has been losing its moral direction 
because we have been sitting on the sidelines while others have been carrying 
our share of the burden.

We are the guardians of our tomorrows and our children are the heirs to 
those tomorrows, and whether we like it or not, they will inherit what we 
leave behind.

The reason why we’re here today is because of the sacrifices that our 
forbearers have made in the past.  In a true sense, we are all living on 
borrowed time.  Therefore, we should only borrow from our past with the 
intention of paying back with a foundation for a much better future.  As 
in the financial world, poor management of borrowed money inevitably leads 
to bankruptcy.  

We should look ahead with good intent and with moral optimism.  Time is the 
most valuable commodity we have.  We shouldn’t waste it.  God has endowed 
us with infinite intelligence.  We must use it or lose it.  We can start by 
putting all of our hates and anxieties on the back burner and try replacing 
it with a little more loving, caring, and respect.  

We must get rid of our plastic smiles along with the plastic dialogues we’ve 
become so accustomed to.

We can start by trying to communicate--for real.  And a good time to start 
would be with a heartfelt, Merry Christmas, and a follow-up resolve to 
ourselves and to our families that the coming year will be the happiest, 
friendliest, and most prosperous New Year of our mortal lives.

Sincerely,
Joe and Vicki Vosbikian					 .