I don’t pay much attention to the mainstream news, though I do browse through it quickly now and then, just so I have some idea of what’s going on in the world. Though there’s a lot more going on in the world than what the news media publish, which is mostly “bad” news. There’s more good news than bad. But we rarely see it in the headlines.

I’m fascinated by the so-called “War on Christmas.” It seems to me our world is obsessed with war. We have the usual wars going on, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Palestine, etc. etc. Then we also have the war on terror, the war on drugs, the war on poverty, and so on. There are wars all over the place. And now we have a war on Christmas.

I’m no longer Christian, but I love the Christmas season. When I was growing up, Christmas was a time of year when we were a little kinder, a little more understanding, a little more thoughtful and compassionate with our human brothers and sisters. But today even Christmas has become a battleground of “us versus them.”

You don’t have to be a Christian, or even believe Christ was real, to participate in the warmth and joy of the season. Anything that brings us closer to one another, even if it’s only once a year, is good for all of us, for the whole world.

For me Christmas is not about Christ. It’s about love. As Christ said, “Love one another.” The answer to the world’s woes is not waging another war, it’s living the spirit of Christmas, which is love.

Here are a few words my spirit guides gave me some years back. The words are a bit more harsh than what we normally hear from Spirit.

“There has been more human tragedy created by the ‘us-versus-them’ mentality. You know – ‘Our way cannot possibly be wrong because, after all, it is our way! Therefore, their way must be wrong.’

“Look back at your history books. They chronicle the devastating consequences of this mentality. It’s a mentality many individuals, groups, and institutions still eagerly embrace.

“Life was not meant to be a struggle. Life was not meant to be a war of ‘right’ versus ‘wrong,’ of ‘us’ versus ‘them.’ Life was meant to be an absolute joy. A joy in the remembering of why you came to this life to begin with.

“You have somehow been convinced there is not room for all of you on your planet. And therefore, you must wage war against those who are ‘different’ from you.”

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What about you? Can you allow others to live in peace, even if they have beliefs you do not agree with? Can you love them anyway? Please comment below.