I feel that every Christmas I live a déjà vu. It always starts with me explaining that even though an atheist, I can see the love in the Christmas message and in the end I wish that everybody can also see it and act accordingly. Every single year the last eleven.

But this year, me the atheist, I can see something else very clear. Evil. Of course Christmas is here, December 25th today but there is evil as well. And evil there is all the time … all around us. And misery, and tragedy and pain. A lot of pain. And death. This year how many kids died in the Mediterranean Sea? Ironically how many kids died in or from the land of Palestine. Nobody really knows. We know about 3-year-old Alyan. We saw the pictures. But how many Alyan really died and we don’t even know their name. And there is no resurrection for them.

Wherever you turn your head there is evil. Evil in governments who see people as a weight for their national debt, evil in politicians who see people as an instrument to serve their personal absolutely corrupted ambitions, we see people hate.  We saw in France hate winning elections with a lot of help coming from their supposedly target, we saw in Finland hate wearing capes, we saw in Germany hate burning refugee settlers and we saw Hungary unveiling hate walls. What we saw coming from USA – a deep apology to my American friends – but it terrifies me. I don’t want to imagine any place in the world with a Donald Trump in power and this minute Donald Trump has power in USA.

In the meantime more waves of refugees land in Europe through the Greek island, unemployment constantly increases all around Europe and the numbers of homeless is devastating. 30,000 kids continue to die every single day more than 40% victims of different forms of violence, more than 6,000 of them in our civilized and democratic west.

Thankfully I have a good and personal relationship with most Ovi contributors. There is a high percentage among us, among the Ovi family who is unemployed or victims of deferent kind of prejudice even racism where they live. I actually felt all of it during my resent years in Finland; a Finland that has nothing to do with the country I fell in love two decades ago. Today there is a fascist party in the government seeking for national purity. The messages from Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic are not any better. Evil rules in Europe in front or behind the curtains.

Getting closer to Christmas one of the most outspoken and recognizable Greek bishops, after spending months cursing immigrants, damning refugees, calling for violence against gays, expressing disgust against communists, liberals, socialists, wishing death for atheist,  he talked about …love and the Christmas message. How can you defend youself from that?

And now I’m going to write about the Christmas message? With all this hate around? I’m sorry but for this year I cannot see any Christmas message, what I can see is evil.

I'm sorry but when I see these refugee kids recieving presents as part of the Christmas spirit I feel no joy and I doubt if any of them feel any message when the face behind the one who gives them the present is Timo Soini, Marine Le Pen or Donald Trump. Look at the picture in the cover. This little girl got a present accordingly to the Christmas spirit, she got a lot of wishes ...hope? I doubt if there is any left for her in the land of Soinis, Le Pens and Trumps. 

And I’m scared in what world I brought a kid.

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However and not because I don’t believe all the above it is a good chance to wish to all of you, Ovi friends, Ovi family to be well, be healthy and most of all act. Even if that act is limited to write, please do it. Fascism, prejudice, radicalism fear one thing and they have shown it the last few year. They are scared of our pens. Please don’t stop using them, it is our last stand.

Season Greetings Everyone!

Thanos