Christmas is a time in which, of all times in the year, the memory of every remediable sorrow, wrong, and trouble in the world around us, should be active with us, not less than our own experiences, for all good.
Interpretation
Christmas encourages us to reflect on and address the sorrows and troubles of others, fostering goodwill and empathy.
In this quote, Charles Dickens highlights the essence of Christmas as a time for reflection and compassion, urging individuals to not only remember their own hardships but also to be mindful of the collective troubles faced by others. He suggests that during this festive season, we should actively engage with the memories of those who suffer, encouraging a sense of responsibility and goodwill towards making the world a better place.
In practice
Using the quote in a holiday speech to encourage community support for those in need.
I recollected one story there was in the village, how that on a certain night in the year (it might be that very night for anything I knew), all the dead people came out of the ground and sat at the heads of their own graves till morning.
A silent look of affection and regard when all other eyes are turned coldly away-the consciousness that we possess the sympathy and affection of one being when all others have deserted us-is a hold, a stay, a comfort, in the deepest affliction, which no wealth could purchase, or power bestow.
Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before--more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.
There are not a few among the disciples of charity who require, in their vocation, scarcely less excitement than the votaries of pleasure in theirs.
You might, from your appearance, be the wife of Lucifer,” said Miss Pross, in her breathing. “Nevertheless, you shall not get the better of me. I am an Englishwoman.
Christmas is a poor excuse every 25th of December to pick a man's pockets.
I am sorry my life is so marred and maimed by extravagance. But I cannot live otherwise. I, at any rate, pay the penalty of suffering.
My mouth is full of decayed teeth and my soul of decayed ambitions.
For every man the world is as fresh as it was at the first day, and as full of untold novelties for him who has the eyes to see them.
In ancient, prehistoric times, the temples of the spirit were outwardly visible, but today, when our life has become so unspiritual, they no longer exist where we can see them with our physical eyes. Yet spiritually they are still present everywhere, and whoever seeks can find them.
My thesis topic was 'The value of a human life.' I asked people a question: 'Suppose you had some risk, a one in a thousand risk of dying - how much would you pay to eliminate it?'
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
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