*TIS THE season to be op-
timistic, and i remain a
determined optimist, but
every year it seems more
and more difficult to find
that most essential of Chris-
tian elements — hope.

I was driving along the other
day, trying to scare up enthusiasm
for Christmas in the 90s when a
CBC radio interview caught my
attention.

It was with a physician who had
ducided to go out to Somalia to
care for the starving thousands
who make their way to the make-
shift, pitifully equipped clinics.

When asked why more health
professionals aren’t joining him,
the doctor had a simple answer —
chronic self-centredness. To him,
the secret to leading a fulfilling,
worthwhile life is clear: you see
the need of others and you try to
help.

What was particularly interest-
ing was the impatience with which
he reacted to the interviewer’s
suggestion that his decision
merited kudos.

What a comment on our society
— We propose to sct someone on
a pedestal simply for deciding to
go without creature comforts.

I must add that many health-
care professionals still dedicate

Mitchell

Friday, December 18, 1992 — North Shore News - 7

In search of Christian hope

Catherine

their lives to others wholehearted-
ly. But the doctor’s comment on
the human conditions could apply
to every walk of life.

it’s not rocket science to point
out that people are self-centred in
this society; it's just brutally
honest, and perhaps courageous.
_ It’s easy for people to be
cynical and live without hope.
Christmas is still supposed to be
about the hope symbolized by the
birth of Christ (“‘Season’s Greet-
ings’ notwithstanding).

So imagine trying to find hope
if you put your faith in Father

should

do the honcrable
thing and resign

Dear Editor:

As a provincial Liberal I ap-
plaud the ‘“‘desk-pounding’’ ap-
plause of Liberal MLAs Tyabji,
Wilson and Farrell-Collins when
West Van-Garibaldi MLA David
Mitchell announced his resignation
from the Liberal caucus.

ht was my view that Mr. Mit-
chell should have been handed his
proverbial head on a platter when
he broke party ranks to join the
NDP when they both flew in the
face of Mitchell’s and the gov-
ernment’s constituents in support-
ing the recent federal referendum
on the badly flawed Charlotte-
town Accord.

If the Socreds want him they
are welcome to him and as for the
NDP’s “‘surprise’’ to the applause
for his announcement, who’s kid-
ding whom?

If David Mitchell had been an

‘NDP member and broken ranks

from Premier Harcourt’s Yes
position on the now dead accord,
the iron-fisted NDP leader and
caucus would have tarred,
feathered and driven Mitchell out
of (caucus) town on a rail.

Such are the penalties for polit-
ical mavericks and this is as it
should be because the voters have
the right to know what any party
stands for and what (more
especially) they will be voting for
when they change governments in
the next provincial election.

Right now, West Vancouver-
Garibaldi MLA David Mitchell no
longer has a mandate and he
should do the honorable thing:
resign his seat immediately and
reface ‘this constituents’ in a
byelection against a Liberal team
player!

L. Greg Richmond
North Vancouver

‘Callous’ to exploit issue

Dear Editor:

The title of Maureen Curtis’
article on the recent rezoning
debate over the 1800-block of
Duchess and Esquimalt was
misleading.

Colin. MacCallum, who
spearheaded the drive for
rezoning, had delivered a flyer
to area residents in which he
promised many things if the
rezoning went through, but it
made no mention whatsoever
of seniors’ housing.

1, and the other residents sit-
ting near me at the Nov. 23

West Vancouver District
Council meeting, hadn't heard
those words raised in this mat-
ter unti!] Mr. MacCallum gave
his speech to the council.

It is not, as Mr. MacCallum
said, ‘‘callous’’ to want to
preserve what Pat Boname cor-
rectly calls a unique and char-
ming neighborhood.

lt is callous to exploit a sen-
sitive and important issue like
seniors’ housing in the pursuit
of quick profits.

Paul Budra
West Vancouver

44... it starts with kind words and
generous actions. 99

Hubert O'Connor, the former
bishop of Prince George charged
with four sex-related crimes.

Since charges against O’Connor
have been stayed duc to the
Crown's failure to disclose all ev-
idence to the defence, there’s now
serious doubt that a trial will take
place.

The real tragedy is not in the
mishandling of a case by lawyers
— it’s the blow to future hopes
that O'Connor dealt out (o these
who trusted him at St. Joseph's
residential school.

It's the blow dealt to all Roman
Catholics who must somehow ac-
cept the awful reality that 55 of
their church officials in Canada
have been charged with sex of-
fences.

Dear Editor:

Because somebody has taken
from me, I want to give to you.
After all, what goes around comes
around.

It takes a period of time on this
planet to realize that we reap just
what we sow. The older folks are
initiated into this rite of passage
and invariably graduate battered,
bruised and somehow strengthen-
ed ... more resilient.

Younger people may not be af-
forded that wisdom. It has to be
earned usually, unfortunately, the
hard way.

This Christmas I'm giving to
someone’s parents one of the
greatest gifts of all ... good ad-
vice, hope and a second chance.

I hope | don’t sound too sanc-

’ timonious burt if I do it may be

appropriate because | feel, in a

If you're a committed Chris-
tian, how do you approach
Christmas feeling the pain of these
revelations?

If news of church officials (and,
of course, they aren’t all Catho-
lics) abusing their positions is in-
sufficient, there’s the recent news
that more and more people in this
country are losing their ability to.
provide for their families. ,

Our national jobless rate of
11.8% is the highest in 10 years.

The federal report cites single
mothers as the hardest hit group,
living $8,232 below the poverty
fine (set in 1990) of $24,389. The
refusal of the current federal gov-
ernment to create daycare permit-
ting some of these women to work
doesn’t exactly help.

While the situation is grim for
refugees around the world, it's not
great for the families in the Lower
Mainland who rely on one of this
region's nine food banks.

Statistics for even the Ab-
botsford-Matsqui food bank are
enough to make you feel the
weight of hopelessness: volunteers
are trying to feed 1,500 families,
compared with 800 families a year
ago.

Given this need, it isn’t enough
to sit back and mutter phrases like
“it’s awful,”’ or ‘‘Children
shouldn’t have to go hunery.”’

I for one don’t accept the anal-
ysis which says that people are so
overwhelmed by news about the
world’s problems that they feel
paralyzed. This is a glib ra-
tionalization used to justify inac-
tion.

We can put hope back into
Christmas 1992 — and it starts
with kind words and generous ac-
tions. It's up to us.

i A a

around comes around

way, as though I! have been
cleansed.

You see, | own a Jeep (or at
least the bank does) and I have
been feeling guilty about it for
some time now, what with the
economic recession and the possi-
bility that some West Van kids
won't be able to afford new
snow-boards this year.

Anyway, to make a long story
longer, on Halloween night some
local kids broke into this Jeep, let
off some fireworks and did $1,000
worth of damage. My cleansing
through fire, | rationalised.

On Friday, Dec. 4, some local
kid broke into my Jeep again and
cleansed me of a gift from a dear
friend, my only truly rainproof
Taiga-made blue Gortex jacket.

Who knows ... maybe it won't
rain in December!

I want you to give your kid a
real present this year.

Don’t just buy him off or hope
to win her affections by giving
them what they demand. You
probably find it easy to spend
money on them but just can’t af-
ford the time.

You're not fooling anybody and
you’re certainly not fooling them.

Go to your kid’s room and jook
for a recently acquired blue
Gortex Taiga jacket. Then you
can truly give something to them
«. advice, hope and a second
chance.

Do it before it’s too late and
remember ... what goes around
comes around,

A happy and a_ peaceful
Christmas to you all.

Colm McCormack
West Vancouver

rr er TP st