The Twelve Wishes: A Summary

Thank you for reading my twelve wishes for Christmas 2005. Here is a summary of the wishes:

Wish 0: Peace on Earth
Wish 1: Everyone becomes blind
Wish 2: Forgiveness
Wish 3: Self-cleaning kids
Wish 4: To never lose my appetite
Wish 5: Stop political arrogance
Wish 6: Global SPAM legislation
Wish 7: Preserve childish creativity
Wish 8: Second, third and Nth place prizes
Wish 9: Good for goodness sake
Wish 10: Appropriate procrastination
Wish 11: Dignity and integration
Wish 12: Bring back the Christ in Christmas

Until next Christmas, have a great year! -Leo

Day 12: Return to Design Specifications

Wish 12: Bring Back the Christ in Christmas

"How do you celebrate Christmas here?" I asked folks in a European city.

They said that on the night of the Eve, the family prays, has a meal together, light candles on a tree and sing Christmas songs. They are in bed well before midnight. They don't mention anything about gift-giving.

"That's boring," I thought. We grew up with the common Western Christmas traditions. Lots of lights, decoration, gifts under the tree, good food, Santa Claus and more. When my wife and I lived in Europe, we tried to bring those traditions with us. But instead of having lots of family around, it was just the two of us and then our two boys who born there.

There was something about the silence on the Christmas Eve. One time, we heard an early Christmas Eve Mass and then walked around the heart of town. The streets and their shops were now empty but well decorated and well lighted. It was completely deserted, except for another English-speaking family that had the same idea. "Hey, Mom, Dad! Look here!" shouted one of the kids, and his words echoed through the empty lanes. I remembered that the locals were already probably asleep at home.

Back to the house, it was just us. My wife, myself, and our son. The following year we had another son, and it was just the four of us. Those Christmases without the distraction of shopping and crowded family reunions became some of the most memorable. Our eldest son even dug up the videotape of his first Christmases and showed them off to his friends. What was he showing off? Simplicity? Solemnity? I think I'll ask him tonight.

The design specification of the First Christmas was a family, alone in a place that was not their home, and celebrating new life quietly. No revelry or materialism. A silent and holy night.

It was about the birth of the Christ. And we are celebrating it because this child named Jesus was to save us all.

So my wish is for us to follow our traditions and to never forget why we're celebrating Christmas in the first place.

From my family to yours, we wish the deep peace of Christ, the light of the world, to you.

Day 11: We're All Immigrants

Wish 11: Dignity and Integration

Two medical technologists, both recent immigrants, were working in a laboratory when one noticed the other's error. The younger technologist politely pointed out an error in a procedure. The older, and recently hired technologist felt insulted. They did not speak to each other for a few days.

The older technologist then confided with a colleage, "How dare she speak to me like that. In my country, I was the chief medical technologist with 25 years of experience." The colleague answered her, "Yes, but in her country, she was a doctor."

North America is a land mass populated by immigrants. That is a known fact. The early immigrants survived off the land, built shelters and learned to mass produce and store food. With basic needs met, they pursued knowledge and the arts, built huge edifices and advanced technology. These technologies were then used to conquer or defend, to advance commerce within and with other countries, and to make life easier and longer. That's pretty much the history of Canada and the United States in a nutshell.

The more recent immigrants, however, having not gone through the rites of the older immigrants, must work their way into the fabric of this land. America's technologies, knowledge and skills are now also learned elsewhere. The countries outside North America have the same technologies, knowledge and skills as North America, even though they may not be as economically rich. But the rites for integration remain.

Many older immigrants are defensive, "We've worked hard to get to where we are. You should too." They create hurdles that hope to defend their children. They hire graduates of their own schools. They set up certifications based on things their universities teach. They set up residency standards and language standards. No hablo Ingles? Start here please. Hablo Ingles with a different accent? Start here also, please.

And so we have immigrant doctors who have to be nurses, or immigrant nurses who have to be nurses' aides. We have immigrant lawyers who work as receptionists, immigrant financial wizards who work as clerks, and immigrant professors who drive taxis or clean toilets. Talent is in our midst. And wasted.

A highly-educated immigrant from China had to serve tables while taking classes in English. He then worked on an undergraduate degree, and then a masters degree. When he finally headed a large immigrant services society, he was invited to sit in a board of trade leaders. His professor also sits in the same board, and he still humbly calls him "teacher" instead of calling him by his first name. He could only restore his previous professional status by getting the same education in a new land.

One of North America's ten most influential female lawyers recently made an appeal. She asked businesses to integrate immigrants into their organizations faster because they have the right skills. Not integrating them quickly will be a great waste, and a lost opportunity in understanding the global markets.

Think about it. Would outsourcing of American jobs have been an issue if they only hired the talent that was already residing in America? Would there be a shortage of people in our health industries? Would we understand other cultures enough to make our global operations multi-local?

The story of the immigrant doctor and technologist happened two years ago. Yesterday, that doctor was finally offered residency after almost three years of study and certification. And she did this while working a full-time job and having a baby.

Day 10: Good Things Take Time

Wish 10: Appropriate Procrastination

Around the hills of Grinzing, the wine-growing district of Vienna, pine branches hang above the doorways of the wine houses or Heurigen to signal that the home-made wine is ready to be served.

All kinds of drinks are available to the guests. The current year's wine itself is already good, but the aged wine has better aroma and body. Wine-growers take pride in their aged wine. Compliment the proprietor and he'd quote something profound like, "Good things take time."

If you stay longer in Vienna, you might start hearing the same phrase in different aspects of Austrian life. If the latest underground train line is delayed, the builders announce they are just fine tuning, followed by the profound: "good things take time." Legislation is delayed, and a minister assures the public that the government is just exercising due diligence. And, oh yes, "good things take time."

Sounds like an excuse for procrastination to me.

I'd like to confess that I am a procrastinator. No, this should not be taken against me. It should be looked at like the repentant Christian ("I am a sinner."). Or the slogan of the number 2 car rental company, "We try harder." To recognize that I am a procrastinator is to always strive not to procrastinate. [However, use this reasoning in an interview, and you're either candid or dead meat.]

I challenge anyone to say they have never procrastinated. We all do it, some less than others.

In things that matter, procrastination is not good. Delaying a tax return and you're sweating over your calculator at an hour before deadline. You study all night before an exam and the buzz of coffee with tiredness will take its toll.

But procrastination is not always bad. Even in things that matter. Take for example those new parents who bring their infants to experts who can help them have an edge over the other babies. Or those little girls strutting around like showgirls in pageants. What's the hurry?

When I have an argument with someone I love, I'm so tempted to end the argument right there and then - and to have the last word. That's when procrastination helps. A little time away, and heads are cooler.

My son can start taking driving lessons, but he's not interested yet. That's okay. I'd rather have an 18-year old driver than a 16-year old driver. At the later age, teens are more responsible about driving. Two years procrastination tremendously lowers my son's chances of getting into a fatal accident.

So, I wish that I recognize when to practice appropriate procrastination. Looks like there are situations when good things do take time.

Uh, oh. Talk about procrastination. As I write this, my youngest daughter just handed me her letter to Santa Claus.

Day 9: The C&E People and the Pious Politician

Wish 9: Good for Goodness Sake

The come out of nowhere. They appear only on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Easter morning. They are referred to by a former parish priest as the C&E People.

They are the parishioners who show up only on Christmas and Easter.

All year round, Sunday Holy Mass services have decent attendance. Capacity seems to be about just right. Any group that arrives minutes late for the service will still find seats in the church.

But on Christmas Day, the church pews are overflowing, and the aisles and opened front doors are lined with the standing faithful. The solemnity of the service is distracted by crowding.

Father J. brought up the C&E topic as an appeal to improve church attendance all year round. Many parishes around our town have several hundred registered families as parishioners. But based on Sunday contributions in envelopes, only about a third of those families actually go to regular Sunday services.

By and large, there is no indication that attending services regularly versus twice a year makes the parishioner any more or less morally good. For sure, the C&E people cannot be called pious.

Personally, I want to see more regular parishioners. My kids like to attend every Sunday because their friends do the same. Imagine a weekly reunion of friends if more of them attended.

Also, regular attendance helps determine the capacity of the church. With more regular attendance, the parish would probably add more pews or build an extension. Then, I'll be able to get a seat on Christmas Day.

Now consider piousness and corruption in the Philippines. The only Catholic country in South-East Asia is also the most religious in Asia, according to a Gallup survey. The huge churches are filled to the brim every weekend. Sunday Holy Masses have to be provided also at basketball courts and shopping malls.

At the same time, the 2005 Corruption Perception Index of the Philippines makes it the second most corrupt country in Asia. Why is the most religious country in Asia one of the most corrupt?
One explanation is that church activity is ceremonial: "Look, that politician goes to church, confesses his sins, and takes communion. He is a good man." But the same politician also has a regular take from organized illegal gambling.

Going to church regularly may also be a regular dose of meeting one's religious obligations - and minor misdeeds become excusable. Corruption and the support of corruption is not among the Ten Commandments, one might say. Anyway, "everyone does it" is the common reasoning.

This is by no means an indication of the morality of communities or entire countries. But it is something that puzzles me.

The C&E people I talked about are not necessarily pious, but they still go to Christmas Mass, even if they didn't have to. The pious politician hears Mass every Sunday, but what he does outside the church might be robbing the poor masses.

My wish today is for people to be good, for goodness sake, and not for show.

Day 8: Win-Win Situation

Wish 8: Second, Third, and Nth Place Prizes

At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the television coverage of NBC was decidedly pro-American. All events where Americans won were carefully crafted for the viewing audience with heart-wrenching back stories and detailed coverage of victory dances amidst shouts of "in your face" and "eat our dust." Events where Americans did not fare well were downplayed. The message was clear to the American public: winning is everything.

Many years later, the same message is still alive and kicking. The popular reality show The Apprentice emphasizes Donald Trump's winner-take-all attitude. And the American viewing public loves it.

[In contrast, Martha Stewart's Apprentice emphasized on recognition for effort and teamwork, and used a more humane method of letting go. The Canadian TV audience loved it. But since the Americans didn't, it was cancelled.]

In the show, there was an episode where two teams ran fund-raising events. Both teams raised a lot of money for charity. The team that raised more was called "winner", and the team that raised less was called "loser". What message is that sending to fund-raisers?

Even if both teams do well, and one wins by a mere dollar, the losing team languishes in shame. Adding insult to injury, the losing team has to fight it out for survival. Trump determines who's at fault for the loss and fires him or her.

Businesses don't work that way. What would happen to entrepreneurship if after one failure, everyone just quits? Why do we award winners and not 'tryers'. And worse, why do we bash losers? In our life, we will make many mistakes. We learn from them, and we take corrective action.

In the early 1980's, a P&G maintenance manager made a very expensive mistake. He failed to instruct his maintenance staff on how to remove rivets from the heads of large mixing tanks, and they cut off the rivets instead. The tank heads would have to be destroyed to remove them. The plant manager summoned the maintenance manager to his office.

At the doorway, the maintenance manager's head hung low, "You called for me, sir?" He was prepared for a tongue-lashing and his eventual dismissal. The plant manager didn't look up, and said, "Take a seat." The silence was deafening as the plant manager looked up.

He placed a wristwatch in front of the maintenance manager and asked, "Do you know anyone who can fix this watch? It stopped working." White as a sheet, the maintenance manager answered, "uh, yes, sir. I ... I know someone." He was sent on his way to have the watch repaired.

At the doorway, the maintenance manager turned and said, "I ... I thought you were going to fire me."

The plant manager let out a big laugh, "Fire you? We just invested a lot of money on your education. Why would we fire you?"

Day 7: The Kid in All of Us

Wish 7: Preserve Childish Creativity

By the time my eldest son was four, he had already joined two radio call-in contests and won a Super Mario video game face-off with teens.

He was born and raised in Austria, where I was working at the time. He had such an active mind. He cherished every Disney video sent to us by his uncle in California. Then he'd tell the stories to his international friends at the English preschool.

We went to Disneyworld one summer. In Orlando, Florida, he and his baby brother caught a stomach flu and could eat nothing but bread for two days. They were both tired and thin as sticks. But that couldn't hold them back and they enjoyed Disneyworld immensely.

A week later, my eldest son was back at preschool. Within the first day, we were called in by his teacher to discuss something important. She told us our son was filling the other kids' heads with silly ideas like "flying elephants". She concluded that our son was "acting childish". My wife and I thought, "Duh. He's a child."

As we grow older our childish awe and creativity are tempered by bland conformity. Nothing wrong with obeying the rules of the land, and behaving under society's norms. But too many people quash our creativity until we can't be creative anymore.

Here's a simple story that explains my point.

There was an enthusiastic child named Pat. She went to a preschool. The doors to the school opened up to the whole school room.

One day the teacher told the class that they would draw flowers. The children started chatting in excitement. Pat loved to draw flowers. So she drew a flower (see flower A).

Then the teacher told the children to be quiet. When they were all quiet, she said, "Wait while I will show you how to draw a flower." And she drew a flower (see flower B).

Then, she told the class, "Now, you may draw the flower."

Pat looked at her drawing and then at the teacher's drawing. She liked her flower better, but she didn't argue. She drew a flower just the way the teacher drew it.

The following year, Pat went to a bigger school. The doors opened to a hallway, and she had to run to the end of the hallway to get to the door of her classroom.

One day the teacher told the class that they would draw. Everyone started to draw, except Pat.

The teacher noticed and asked Pat, "Why aren't you drawing?"

Pat answered, "Because you haven't told us when to draw."

And the teacher said, "You may draw anytime you want."

Then Pat asked, "But what should I draw?"

And the teacher smiled, "You may draw anything that you want."



So, Pat drew a flower.

Day 6: The War on SPAM

Wish 6: Global SPAM legislation

In early 1998, I presented our findings on the accessibility of the Internet to the United Nations. One of our concerns was what we called email Accessibility.

Since we were dealing with how people of different countries use the Internet, we identified email as the one thing that was not within the control of the users. Since users are at the mercy of senders of email, proper consideration was needed when sending to countries with low bandwidth.

For example, back in 1998, the country of Nigeria was connected to the Internet by a single 33.6 modem. And it was only available for about 10 hours a day. That connection was courtesy of a private company that needed to keep in touch with it's home base somewhere in the West. Each kilobyte transferred costed a lot of money.

It wasn't until the following year that the term we were looking for had emerged. It was called Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE). Soon after, it was called SPAM.

The single point we were driving at was that SPAM robs poorer countries of their valuable bandwidth.

If in 1998, I frivolously sent an uncompressed photo of my daughter and her dog to a new friend in Kyrkyzstan, it won't cost me much. But it would sure cost the Kyrkyz Republic plenty. That photo would have tied up their entire Internet connection for about 20 minutes.

Our report remained just that: a report. It was published, and it was not acted upon. Back then, we told them that there was going to be a problem with email that was going to be much bigger than viruses and hoaxes.

Today, my three published email accounts receive the equivalent of 1 SPAM message every minute. My filtering software has stopped about 1 Gigabyte of unsolicited email in the past year; although I have to manually remove perhaps another 250 MB worth. That's me alone. I'm sure everybody with email has their own story.

American businesses are spending millions to fight SPAM. And they are losing billions in productivity. If one country finds a way to stop SPAM, the SPAMmers will just use another country to send from.

Nobody should ever force me to read their pitch. That should be my choice. That is the reason I deep-six'd my fax machine.

Stopping SPAM requires leadership from many countries. They should declare war on SPAMmers. Had the UN used our argument that SPAM maims a poor county's capacity to compete in a global market, sweeping legislation would have been in place before the millennium. But now that all but a handful of countries have full Internet connections, it isn't a good argument anymore. But it's still a very expensive nuisance.

Day 5: Perceived Smarts

Wish 5: Stop Political Arrogance

"Those of you who think you are intelligent are annoying to those of us who are."
-Anonymous

Why do many many of us think we're better than another group? What brings about this arrogance?

There's so much to talk about with this topic. Where to start? Where to start? I'll limit it to rotten politicians, okay?

Many politicians in almost all countries in the world are arrogant. They practice I-know-what's-good-for-you, based on what's-in-it-for-me. The technical term for this is bullshit.

Take for example a simple statement like: "The people demand better social security." Not only is it a sweeping statement, but also an obvious one. So, the purpose of saying so is political - for self-perpetuation. In his (or her) mind, it's not about sincere compassion, but how well he or she will be perceived by his/her constituents. Images of reelections dance in their heads.

A really bad form of political arrogance is when a politician and his party/colleagues/friends decide to do something for another group or country "for their own good." The word "meddling" is not in their vocabulary. We've seen this happen so many times in history. Someone always ends up getting hurt big time.

Then, sometimes, politicians will do a rotten thing. Like use public funds for their benefit or that of their friends. Again, in their mind, they think they are smarter than the rest of us. In very corrupt governments, the payments to keep silent go deep down the hierarchy. It costs not just the amount that was stolen, but also the maintenance of keep-them-happy funds, which also has to be stolen. Eventually, they are found out, and more money is needed to keep to the party line. Corruption is simply very expensive to maintain.

And when politicians are used to maintained corruption, they will go out of their way to stay in power.

People are not stupid. Many mechanisms in our world prove that people are more intelligent than the few arrogant leaders. The Stock Market is one mechanism. International trade is another mechanism. Commercial industries also have their mechanisms. Elections without cheating is also a good mechanism.

In most cases, these mechanisms provide us the best leaders that we deserve. I firmly believe that even if we elect the wrong person, that's the one we deserve. We won't make that mistake twice, unless we choose not to learn from our mistakes.

Finally, there are mechanisms for us, the crowds, to correct our mistakes. We use the courts, we use the press, and we use the streets. We voice out what we think went wrong. If in the meantime a political leader finds a way to quash that mechanism called Freedom of Speech, then doom is not far behind. Again, people get hurt big time.

Arrogant politicians have got one thing right: "I'm here and you're not." But the crowds also know one thing for sure: "...But not for long."

Day 4: The Gift of Appetite

Wish 4: To Never Lose My Appetite

When we were younger, we used to say, "Man does not live by bread alone. He also needs meat."

That's probably the difference between eating because you are hungry, and eating because you have a voracious appetite. One of them is a need. The other is a want.

I am not advocating obesity here. In fact, what I'm talking about is survival itself.

Hunger and appetite are part of the human programming. A baby would only be satisfied after a full bottle (or breast) of milk. A few hours later, her crying may signal a diaper change or the need for another bottle. Without those signals, the baby would be malnourished, or worse.

I think it is possible to be hungry, but not have an appetite. It happened to me yesterday. I felt hungry, but I still didn't feel like eating. That may be good since I'm trying to shed a few pounds before Christmas. But the muscle aches and fever that come with it are not pleasant.

I love food. So when the doctor told me today there was a viral infection somewhere in my alimentary canal, and that I should take bland food, it surprised me that I didn't feel bad. My appetite is still not back.

Without an appetite, one is not in control of his/her food choices. Just look at those bulimic young girls who need to be trained to have an appetite. I'd rather be stopping myself from taking a slice of chocolate cake than to not want cake at all.

My grandfather told me that appetite is a gift. I always thought he said that to justify his portion sizes. But one day long ago, he said he didn't feel like eating anymore, and a few weeks later he was gone.

I wish that we never have to lose our appetite. I'd love to share a lot of dinners with my parents, my siblings and my kids. I'd like to have lunches with friends and colleagues. Eating is one of the things we have in common with people around the world. And so most gatherings involve food - good food.

My mouth is watering just thinking about our holiday dinners. But for now, I just don't feel like eating. Sigh.

Day 3: Clean Sweep

Wish 3: Self-Cleaning Kids

I'm wishing this for all the parents out there who know what I'm talking about. I wish my kids would clean their rooms.

I really love my kids. They're just great at school, with friends, and with their cousins. They are talented, intelligent, considerate and courteous. We study, play and watch movies together. They just adore their mother's cooking. We couldn't ask for anything more.

Except that their rooms are messy.

Consider this. In the rooms of Child 1 and Child 2: clothes on the floor. Which clothes are clean? Books, notebooks, calculators, assignments and pens are also on the floor. Why? Because there are also clothes on their desks. Are there clothes in their closets? Barely. At least the hangers are also on the floor, just waiting for the nearby clothes to magically attach themselves.

In Child 3's room, there are clothes, electornic games, plush toys, hair clips and books. On her bed are seven pillows she turned into a fort.

What add to the look of clutter in the room are all those posters: bands I've never heard of, and brands of snowboards and skateboards. For the youngest, it's anime characters whose sparkling eyes are bigger than their fists.

It shouldn't affect us when the doors are closed. However, when the wireless phone rings, and they forget to bring it back to the cradle, I'm digging through six feet of apparel before I miss the call.

So I tried a crusade. How long would it take for me to clean up Child 1's room while he's away for a few days? The answer: 48 hours - a whole weekend. I brought out three bags of trash. I gathered enough good working ball pens to fill three mugs. The blood rushed to my head when I found a petrified French fry. Arrrgh!

It also took Child 1 about 48 hours to return the room to its original state.

I wonder why they're messy? I've got a relatively clean room. Except for the books stacked up on my night table. And some standing files on the floor. And, oh yeah, only one used pair of socks under the bed. I mean, really. Where do they learn untidiness?

Day 2: Neighbors of Light and Dark

Wish 2: Forgiveness

This is a tale of two neighboring towns.

Deep in the northern part of the province of Salzburg in Austria lies a border town called Braunau am Inn. It's a typical Austrian town, small and clean. A river separates this town from another in Germany. In the 80's it was bland and there was a certain air of gloom over it. It was nothing to write home about.

About 20-30 minutes to the South is a similar border town called Oberndorf bei Salzburg. It's also a typical Austrian town, and the same river separates it from another town in Germany. But it has a steady stream of visitors. It seems to have an atmosphere of joy. The kind of joy you feel at Christmas.

If you visit both towns in the same day, you leave with a feeling of both doom and hope - yang and yin, dark and light. That's because of the opposing historical significance of both towns.

Braunau was the birthplace of Adolf Hitler. Oberndorf was the birthplace of the song Silent Night.

Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf.

There were no tourist signs around Braunau. The curious travelers approach the town with care not to mention the unmentionable name. Don't make a mistake asking for directions to the birth house or you'll be run out of town with pitchforks. People who gaze at the unmarked building are looked at with scorn by the locals.

In Oberndorf, there are ample parking spaces for the visitors of the Stille Nacht Kapelle. A small unassuming chapel stands where the original chapel used to be. The chapel is so small, there are only three pews, and enough room for a dozen people. Inside it is so quiet that you can hear, in your mind, the strumming of the guitar and the solemn melody created by Joseph Mohr and Franz Xaver Gruber.

For many years, the building where Hitler was born was left to the elements. In 2002, Braunau decided to look towards the future. The building, and everything around it was repainted, but it is still kept a secret. It was trying to reposition itself from being the unfortunate host of the worst tyrant of the 20th century to an advocate of truth and healing. Today, it is a quaint village worth visiting.

Oberndorf continues to promote the world's most recognized Christmas melody. It hosts a big Christmas Eve mass which culminates in the singing of Silent Night. The singing is so inclusive, visitors are asked to sing it in their own language.

Braunau am Inn, Austria, today.

Austria has these two towns of light and dark - only 30 kilometers apart. Both towns are trying to make the best of what they are known for. And for Braunau, it has shed its unfortunate reputation. It took decades to do that.

People are not so fortunate - life is short. You can be a person of virtue, and all can be ruined by a single mistake. Like a spot in the middle of a clean sheet, the errors of our friends and family are easily fixated upon.

So, my wish today is for forgiveness. If we can forgive and forget the dark aspects of history, we can surely forgive those who have been close to us all our lives.

Day 1: A Level Living Field

Wish One: Everyone becomes blind

I think we put too much emphasis into appearances and images.

Magazines tell us how we should look. Organizers of an annual Victoria Secret event claim that there are two billion viewers to their show. A third of the world's population? But these models look nothing like our friends, sisters, spouses and significant others, so why the hype?

The news reports are longer when there are video clips. Thousands die in Africa, but we don't hear about it. Why? No video clips. And if we did have images, viewers would change the channel.

When you look at the outpouring of aid, why did Thailand get a lot, but not nearby New Orleans? As one TV reporter bluntly put it the day after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans was "a sea of black". And then there's the earthquake in Pakistan. What? You didn't hear about that?

Good luck getting into a plane if you're wearing a turban. Good luck getting roadside assistance if you're the object of "yo mama so big" jokes. Good luck catching a cab if you're (fill in the blanks). Our appearances give us advantages and handicaps.

Now if all of us were blind, that would give us a more level living field.

Women can get the job even if their skirts touched the floor. Children could play together because parents wouldn't notice what the other kids looked like. Cosmetic surgeons would lose their jobs.

People would finally feel good about themselves. Because they are accepted for who they are, and not what they look like.

By the way, blindness doesn't have to be the loss of sight. Here's a true story.

Many years ago, in a bank in California, a patron refused to approach the next available teller. She told an assistant manager, "I do not want to be served by that Chinese girl." That teller had been there for many years. This was the first time she had ever been treated this way. She broke down and cried.

The Bank Manager approached the patron and told her in no uncertain terms, "If you refuse to be served by her, we don't need your business." There was a silent cheer among the tellers and bank employees as the woman left.

The supportive tellers actually looked at each other and asked, "She's Chinese? I didn't know." For years, they were blind to the appearance of their colleage. They just didn't care what she looked like. She was their friend, and that was all that mattered.

Suggest a Wish

Your turn! Use the comments link below to suggest your Wish for the 12 Wishes of Christmas.

Day 0: The Mother of all Wishes

Wish Zero: Peace on Earth

My zeroeth wish is Peace on Earth. I want to get that out of the way, rather than get a thousand similar suggestions. Not that I won't welcome them, but I want you to come up with wishes from your heart instead of from the Bible or Hallmark greeting cards.

This first post will give you an idea of how this goes. I like to talk about the wish of the day, and it might go like this:

We all want Peace on Earth. At least most of us do.

But it is so fleeting, unachievable. Has there ever been a part of the history of the world when no one was fighting another?

As long as people have different ideas, goals or ways of doing things (which is, by the way, okay), and they choose to impose their ideas, goals or ways of doing things on others (which is not okay), World Peace is just a myth.

Since we're wishing for it anyway, let's imagine that it can be achieved. And you have the power to make Peace on Earth a reality.

Oh yeah, there's always a catch. Here's version 1: You have to choose which country to kill, and you will be granted World Peace. What country would you choose to kill? Think about that for a moment. A whole country, with all its people: politicians, regular folk, old people, rich people, poor people, innocent kids and babies. They would all die for the sake of Peace forever, and you have the power to choose. Have you made your choice?

It's not easy. Some people say they'd sacrifice the smallest country in the world - just look through an Almanac and find the least number of people and call them casualties. Others would choose the nastiest country they can think of, where their way of thinking and doing stuff is different from ours. Others just flatly refuse to make that decision saying no whole country is worth sacrificing for World Peace.

OK, let me try a less stressful catch. Version 2 is: You have to choose which person to kill, and you will be granted World Peace. "Now", you say, "that's easy". You think about the worst person you know, like a mass murderer on death row or a terrorist. You can think of someone you hate so much his life is worth sacrificing for the sake of the rest of us seven billion.

It is so easy to do this one. Almost no one will hesitate to choose someone for the ultimate sacrifice.

Now we have an interesting paradox. Most of us are willing to kill someone else for World Peace. That's because someone else's life is worthless and expendable. That person is worthless and expendable because he/she is different from you and me, right? And there it is: the same kind of thinking that starts wars is the same reasoning we use to achieve World Peace.

You may cry out: "But these are the scum of the earth," "You would put a value on this murderer?" "They're willing to kill themselves anyway"... and you have made yourself "more equal" than they.

You know what Jesus said: "Whatsoever you do to the least of my brother, you do unto me."

Oh, boy, we're in a pickle. Here's the one chance of achieving Peace on Earth and you can't choose anyone to kill. Because Leo's appealing to our sense of what is right and making us all feel guilty. What to do?

Has anyone considered choosing him/herself as the sacrifice for World Peace? Guaranteed World Peace! Even I would think about that a lot. What's bad is that nobody would know what my sacrifice was. No one would put an epitaph: "The guy who gave us Peace on Earth". Can I ever be genuinely selfless?

Well, did you know someone actually took the deal? Someone sacrificed himself for the possibility of World Peace. It's that same child that will be born in 13 days.

Thirty three years after He was born, He died on the cross. Not just for our sins, but also for World Peace. The possibility of World Peace! Not even a guarantee.

How do we know Christ was going to sacrifice himself for us? It was his mission statement. When Christ was born, the heavens announced "Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards Men".

So, if you want to wish for Peace on Earth, what would you be willing to do for it?