Last month, if you had asked me for a list of All I Want for Christmas, I would have replied:
Not my two front teeth; I have those. No, I want the proverbial Peace in the Middle East. I want peace in Israel. I want peace in Syria.
I want people everywhere to be able to live without fear of their children going out to play and not coming back alive.
I want people not to be afraid of their governments, to be able to disagree with government policies without fear of retribution.
I want peace between Russia and the Ukraine. In my opinion, Russia committed the ultimate wrong in mounting a horrendous attack on the Ukraine on Christmas Eve. Neither the Ukrainians nor the Russians slept in heavenly peace that night.
I want peace and justice in America. No more threats of civil war. No more survivalist or Nazi-type or KKK organizations threatening violence.
No shootings on the streets. No more young Black men killed or being sent to prison for killing. No more enmity between “gangs” or neighborhoods.
No more drive-by shootings.
I want all people everywhere to have access to potable water. Everyone should have enough food to nourish their bodies.
No more food insecurity. No more children dying of hunger. No more pictures of children with distended bellies and flies on their faces. No more politicizing food and water, withholding supplies from those who need it.
I want safe, warm, affordable housing for those who want it. It is a basic need on Mazlow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
I have had students who had to sleep under the house. We have had students who ran away from home and lived in abandoned houses where it was better than their home. Children should not have to live like that.
Adults may choose homelessness; children should have a home.
I want health care for all people, including children. I want a living wage and employment opportunities for one and all. Body security. Functional families that afford children a safe haven. Parents who are sober and addiction-free.
I want teachers who love to teach and love and inspire their students. I want policemen who not only protect and serve but also care about the public. I want politicians who have the public good at their cores.
I want nurses who feel called to their profession. My daddy was in Billdora Nursing Home in Tylertown, where the Certified Nurse’s Assistants not only did their duties but who went above and beyond in caring for and caring about patients. It makes a world of difference when people love what they do.
Nearer the top of Mazlow’s pyramid are respect, friendship, self-esteem, friendship and more. When those needs are met, Mazlow states that every person can achieve self-actualization. What a difference that would make in the world.
However, I am not asking the impossible, just that people have their basic physiological, love and belonging needs met. Is that too much to ask?
