The word advent is now an important part of the Christian calendar. Translated from the latin, advent means arrival and referes to the impending arrival of Christ. Thus did Christmas become such a major festival in our calendar. As such, this Sunday will be Advent Sunday and marks the beginning of preparations to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Christmas in the modern age has been successfully hijacked by the marketing men who strive to make it work for their sales ledgers. A report today reveals that the collective debt of UK householders now amounts to £1,430,000,000,000. That's clearly a lot of money but let's try and make that figure a bit more relevant. It means that on average, every man, woman and child in the UK owes £22,633 through a combination of credit cards, unsecured personal loans and mortgages. Yet at the same time, we keep hearing about this word austerity. Apparently, times are really hard in the UK as a series of government cutbacks continue to exert their vice-like grip.
The problem is that the current level of indebtedness is now just as big as it was in September 2008 just before the financial crash. There are therefore two possibilities. Either the government cutbacks are not working or people are continuing to borrow their way out of trouble. Clearly it's not quite as simple as that but the point is made. People are evidently continuing to make the same mistakes which led to the crash in the first place. The sub prime mortgage scandal in the US has been cited as the original cause of the crash but it's important to address the facts. Certainly the lenders were culpable in lending to people who hadn't a hope of repaying but he the people were equally culpable. In taking on committments which they knew they couldn't possibly afford, they were knowingly going down a path of no return. When one person this, the results are calamitous for that person. Whejn the entire country does this, the results are calamitous for the entire country. We know this because in 2008, one bank went under, one escaped by the skin of it's teeth and millions of people lost their jobs and incomes.
When I'm at home I now prefer the radio because the TV has just become a glorified salesman always trying to tempt you with some new product which you had previously managed without perfectly well. As the retail giants do battle to try and produce the perfect Christams advertisement, the TV programme must now take second place. I exercise the option to which David Cameron refered when he was still leader of the opposition. I turn it off because it has lost it's appeal. I'm happy with what I have and feel truly blessed when I look at those people in the world who have nothing. Literally nothing. If I look at the Philippines, Syria and a whole host of other countries, I am easily reminded of my good fortune and their tragedy.
From the fourth century, Advent was a time for fasting and reflection with even dancing and celebrations being frowned upon. You have only to look around you to see that the concept of fasting now would be unimaginable to the many. These days, people try to do without something they really like for Lent for few fast during Advent. Self denial is fast becoming a thing of the past. Our refusal to compromise and do without is creating misery and this report simply highlights that fact. Our failure to distinguish between what we want and waht we need is costing us dear.
When Pope Francis yesterday published his proposals for the future of the Catholic church, his opposition to materialism was palpable - and rightly so. Not just in the UK but all around the "civilised" world, people are becoming increasingly obsessed with material goods. The problem with materialsim is that it does not make for happiness in the true spiritual sense of the world. It's ok for a brief time but then the novelty is lost and the emptiness continues.
If our collective debt currently stands at £1,430,000,000,000, I shudder to think how much bigger it will be come January. Heaven forbid anyone allows religion to get in the way of a good spending spree, but it might just be that the time has come for faith to fight back and show people another way. The Conservative party was once the party of faith but all that changed about 20 years ago for fear such an association might cost votes. It seems to me that the need for faith in our society has never been greater. Whether that faith is Christian or not doesn't matter. What matters is that people become aware that a world exists beyond the lure of the marketing men.
One of the people interviewed for the report on debt admitted that her debt was nerve racking and made her feel ill. I can't imagine it having any other effect. The report concluded that 74% of those with debt admitted to being unhappy - no surprises there then. At the root of much of the borrowing is avarice. To look wistfully at the belongings of your neighbour is one thing but to enter debt to have the same is quite another. That said, I feel strongly that our children should be taught at home and at school the importance of budgeting and living within your means. For years now, savers in this country have been penalised and this is a national disgrace. We ought to be rewarding responsibility rather than penalising it.
So what of Advent this year. Is this to mark the arrival of yet more debt and yet more misery or could it possibly be an oportunity for us all to just step back and take stock? Advent starts on Sunday and gives us a four week period within which to remind ourselves of what really matters in our lives. It's also a great opportunity to consider all the people less fortunate than ourselves. We sadly seem to be stuck with Sunday trading but that doesn't mean we have to engage with it. I wonder what would happen if people for once turned their backs on materialism and instead turned to their fellow men? Maybe then we wouldn't see so many elderly people dying due to cold and hunger. Perhaps mental illness would become a bit more accepted. The benefits just go on and on so why not give them a try for the next four weeks? What's the worst thing that can happen? It can't put us in to any more debt but might just show us the way out.
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