I have been Scrooged this week. I have watched three cinematic versions of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and two stage plays of it as well. All five viewings were quite enjoyable! I still prefer to read the book to get the real feel of the story, but that will be another week.
One scene, one small exchange of dialogue, stood out for me this week. Scrooge asks The Ghost of Christmas Past what her business is here. The Ghost responds with, "your welfare." Scrooge is surprised. "My welfare?" The Ghost says, "Your reclamation, then. Take heed, rise and walk with me."
Reclamation is in interesting word choice. Reclamation is the process of reclaiming something from loss or from a less useful condition. Is Scrooge reclaiming his lost innocence? Lost compassion? Lost goodwill and charity? Or is he reclaiming his soul from a less useful condition?
That question got me to wondering how it is we lose things like faith, hope, charity, good will, compassion and the like. "Last time I remember using it, I was in the kitchen. Now . . . where did I put that?" I didn't lose it. I may have lost sight of it, but I didn't lose it.
We make conscious choices in every moment of how we respond to the circumstances we find ourselves in, and the needs we see in others around us. The problem is found in the word "conscious." That is what leads to Scrooge's reclamation. He had become unconscious in his life, focused on matters of the ego, not the heart. Like many of us. He was able to reclaim his soul from the less useful condition of unaware, and become a warm, compassionate, cognizant being.
And I am starting to think that it is just that simple. We wake up. We become aware and purposeful, and we consider the ramifications of our actions and choices. We look beyond our daily survival, our intrinsic needs, and see the bigger picture. Set our egos aside and step into our hearts. There is no need for any of us to be visited by holiday spirits and dead coworkers . . . Just wake up. "Take heed, rise and walk with me."
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