Esa's Notebook

A well-known Finnish Christmas carol “Joulumaa” (Christmas Land) tells where peace of mind can be found. The singer looks at the stars in the sky and their string of pearls and says that ” I have to find Christmas peace inside my mind”. “Christmas Land is more than just fells and snow, Christmas Land is the realm of peace for the human mind.”

If only that were the case. Peace is just not really found in the human mind. Inside man cannot find Christmas peace, no matter how much he looks. In the midst of all the busyness, the human mind is occupied with everyday worries and world wars, Christmas preparations and the pressures of its success. Or lonely persons are saddened by their loneliness. The media is full of more and more distressing news about climate change, conflicts, acts of terrorism, political unrest, the tightening of the conditions of everyday life, and so on.

Peace is found, yes, but not within man. Man´s inside is blackened by haste and anxiety. Peace is found in our Creator, who decides our days, knows our lives, and gives us rest. After all, it´s His birthday we are celebrating, isn´t it. And the journey to that peace is not long; just a prayer.

The song hopes for a big Christmas scoop that could be used to give the world Christmas peace. That is what the world needs now in this time of wars and tribulations of nations. Once we have peace within ourselves, we will be able to spread it to the rest of the world and contribute to the world having Christmas peace.