I think this is a wonderful story and me and Jack have often talked about how Charles Dickens came up with this amazing concept and how it is now so well accepted in our language. There are so many lessons that can be learned from the story, but there were two things that stuck out to me, and we were surprised to see them only portrayed in the latest movie, so I wanted to share them with you.
First, Scrooge, a greedy business man is visited by his old partner that died seven years earlier. He comes to warn him of what will happen if he doesn't change and tells him that three ghosts will come to visit him. As Marley is leaving he goes out the window and as Scrooge watches he sees the following:
"The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went. ... He had been quite familiar with one old ghost in a white wasitcoat, with a monstrous iron safe attached to its ankle, who cried piteously at being unable to assist a wretched woman with an infant, whom it saw below, upon a door-step. The misery with them all was, clearly, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power for ever."
I like this idea and find it so interesting that these people who were greedy in life want nothing more than to help people now, but can't. It shows what is really important in life, and that now is the time to change. Our time on earth is so limited but plays a crucial role in where we will be in the afterlife.
A second idea, which is along the same lines, comes when the ghost of Christmas present is leaving.
"From the foldings of its robe brought two children; wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable. They knelt down at its feet, and clung upon the outside of its garment. ... 'Spirit! Are they yours?' Scrooge could say no more. 'They are Man's,' said the Spirit, looking down upon them. 'And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it!' cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. 'Slanter those who tell it ye! Amit for your factious purposes, and make it worse! And bide the end!"
Scrooge is appalled by these children and is told to beware Ignorance and Want. Scrooge, when asked earlier to give to the poor gives an explanation of how we need poor, to fill prisons, and give people jobs. He displays ignorance in the way he lives and want in having money be all he desires, which lead him to let the love of his life leave. He believes his wealth and status qualifies him to sit in judgment on the poor rather than to assist them. If he lets these two traits continue to sit with him, Doom will come.
How that applies to all of us today. Though many of us don't have a lot of wealth, I think we often live in ignorance and judge others we see. We often want for ourselves rather than giving to others. But as we learn it is never too late to start anew. We should be more aware of those around us and try to serve others.
Though Christmas is past we can look to this story on how to live. Let us be more charitable and more Christlike all year long.
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