by John Newport

It was Christmas day in the war zone and a one-day cease-fire prevailed. Soldiers on both sides of the battle line huddled to keep warm in the cold desert air. Andre read the letter from his girlfriend for the fiftieth time. Enrique sadly visited the humble grave of his buddy, George, marked by a makeshift wooden cross. George had been killed in the cross-fire last week; he would not be going home.

            The cooks brought out the holiday feast – roast turkey complete with all the trimmings. The troops sat down to their Christmas meal, giving thanks for the feast and proclaiming holiday toasts for their loved ones back home. The soldiers across the battle line looked on with envy, as they shivered in the wintry chill. While provisions were on the way, their supplies were momentarily exhausted – there would be no holiday feast.

Observing their predicament from across the line, Tony cried out to his comrades, “Hey, let’s share our holiday food with these guys – we’ve got plenty to spare!”  The troops gathered their festive provisions and approached the battle line. Venturing cautiously at first, they crossed the line to share their provisions with the soldiers on the other side.

Soon, the men on both sides were feasting together, sharing holiday stories and remembrances of loved ones back home. As they continued to share with one another, they discovered that despite their differing cultural backgrounds and ideologies, they had more in common than they ever imagined. Great Bear, a young Native American who had been drafted into battle, expressed their sentiments well. “We have journeyed to this land from many different places. Yet in our hearts we share a common reverence for the Great Spirit, the great green earth and for all living creatures.”

            The desert natives who had been drawn into battle reported that they were deeply saddened. While provisions were on the way and would arrive by morning, they were painfully aware that women and children in the village to the south were starving, in desperate need of food and supplies, together with assistance with farming and irrigation. Spontaneously, the men from both sides declared, “Tomorrow, we’ve got better things to do than to fight this war!”

            Early the next morning, both groups broke camp and traveled together to the village to the south. They were weary of fighting a meaningless war and decided that if they were going to fight, they wanted to fight for something truly worthwhile. So they traveled to the village to share their provisions with the women and children who had been left behind in the rush to battle.

            Behind the battle lines, generals from both sides were completely baffled by this state of affairs. Their repeated attempts to call their troops back to battle, via radio and internet, were met again and again with an incomprehensible reply – “The war is over for us. We have better things to do with our time and energy. Over and out!”

            Dumbfounded, the generals and heads of state decided that they must travel to the frontlines to see for themselves what was happening, and put a stop to this foolishness once and for all. When they arrived at the battleground, they found that no one was there.

            Journeying south to the village, they found their troops, toiling in the fields, rebuilding shelters that had been destroyed by the cross-fighting, healing the sick and famished, and teaching survival skills to the children – helping them acquire a basic sense of dignity and self worth. The commanders marveled at what they saw, and found themselves agreeing with the troops – “Yes, the war is over, we all have better things to do with our time and energy.”

            The leaders returned home, and announced to their countrymen that the war was over. To be honest, no one could really remember how or why the fighting had started in the first place. The next day, both sides deployed thousands of reinforcements to the far corners of the world. But they were not carrying guns or other weapons. Instead, hundreds of thousands of young, and not so young, men and women were heading off to far-flung regions to share their talents, blood, sweat and tears with those less fortunate than themselves – fighting the only battle that is truly worth fighting –making sure that no child, woman, nor man anywhere would go to bed hungry at night, and that all people, everywhere, would have hope for a better tomorrow.

            And that night, a bright star shone forth in the desert skies, and the true message of the holiday season echoed throughout the world – Peace on Earth, Good Will to All.

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John Newport, Ph.D., is author of The Wellness-Recovery Connection: Charting Your Pathway to Optimal Health While Recovering from Alcoholism and Drug Addiction. He is a free-lance writer and wellness counselor based in Port Townsend, Washington and can be reached at DrJohn@wellnessandrecovery.com.