It would be hard to know exactly how many times I have read, or watched, A Christmas Carol, the holiday tale written by Charles Dickens.
The story was first published in 1843, yet it still feels powerful and more incredibly – relevant.
Seeing the Caravan Farm Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol brought this message home. Of course, it was also helped along by the farm theatre's outdoor stages and the integration of draft horse choreography,
They pointed out how the vast gulf between the rich and the poor in Victorian England feels somewhat like a parallel to today.
We see a growing gap between rich and poor, evident in the increasing homeless populations across North American communities and in the waves of desperate refugees fleeing conflict zones and climate-related disasters.
When Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol, people in England had little hope if they were in poverty. There was little to no social safety net, no public health care, and a class system which implied if you were not born into privilege, you likely didn't deserve it. In current economic conditions, with the richest parts of the population increasing their wealth, many people, even in western democracies, are once again feeling the pinch. Surges in inflation have caused more and more people to be unable to afford basic essentials for themselves and their families.
But back to Scrooge. His story is one of a man who started out in life with a benevolent employer who made him feel valued and helped mentor him towards financial success. He had strong family relationships and even romantic love, and his story of loss and redemption still strikes a cord today.
Through the years, the story's main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, became more and more focused on one thing: money.
This desire for wealth above all else meant he lost touch with his own humanity, and in the end, forfeited the things which actually brought value to his life. It also meant those around him suffered, as he chose greed over charity and community. The impacts of his covetousness were felt by those less fortunate.
But despite having read or watched the story countless times, and thanks at least in part to the incredible Caravan Farm Theatre production, the story still brought a tear to my eye as I was touched by the transformative power of charity and community, of humanity and kindness. Nearly 200 years later, Dickens is still teaching us lessons we need to hear and helping us be better.
The show reminded me of the importance and long-lasting impact of a good story. So here is to another year of sharing meaningful tales, creating community and valuing what really matters over coveting wealth.
According to the UBS Global Wealth Report, about 1.5 per cent of the globe's population owns nearly half of the world's wealth.
As a reality check for many North Americans, this means if you own more than one million US in net worth (your assets minus your debt), you are in this category. It's not just billionaires, but those who have far more than they need to survive, who make up this one per cent.
The vast majority of the global population still struggles to meet basic daily necessities, with little flexibility to deal with unforeseen emergencies such as an illness or injury.
