Thank you for supporting journalism at your local newspaper. This article is available exclusively for our subscribers, who help fund our work at Santa Rosa Press Gazette.
The day after Christmas, what my kin call Boxing Day, a kinsman posted on Facebook pictures of various Christmas cards reading, “JOY to the world!” and “Peace on Earth,” then gave this advice for the new year, “We must find joy where we can since peace eludes us.” At first blush, this advice seems insightful given the bleak state of our world; news outlets are awash with reports of crime and war. Peace on earth seems nonexistent and joy a rare commodity. The reason these proclamations of joy and peace seem such non sequiturs is that they have been reduced to mere holiday slogans severed from their source.
The remainder of this article is available only for our website subscribers, who help fund our mission of keeping you updated on news you want and need to know. You can become a subscriber for as little as $5.67 a month.
