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Every year at Ch ristmas/New Year time, we send nevertheless true if you believe what is written
off a greetings card to all our friends and rela- in the press.
tions and in the envelope we include a family
newsletter" -- a recto/verso page describing So what is wrong with wishing people a Happy
what everyone has been doing throughout the New Year? What is wrong with an obligation to
past twelve months. This observation calls for be nice, courteous, polite? I did not realize it was
two comments. so hard for others to be agreeable to one ano-
ther."Perhaps it's only selfishness that prevails in
First, among the hundreds of people we know, our society today," my colleague added.
there are only two other families who do the
same thing. This means that the vast majority This year, as in the past, people will send off mil-
of the people who send us Christmas and New lions of text messages, quickly and impersonally,
Year greetings, simply sign their names under while only a few had time to sit down and write
the ritual printed message -- and call it a day. seasonal greeting cards, as was the custom not
Although I am sure that they do not wish to be so long ago.The reasons are numerous, but no-
mean, I feel somewhat insulted that they do not body could say that it's a lack of time. It's rather
feel called upon to provide any information or a lack of interest, or simply that Christmas and
news about their lives. I open the envelope, take New Year celebrations have lost much of their
out the card, read the names -- and then nothing. significance.
What is the purpose? Why do they bother? Are
their lives really without any interest at all? Are Another colleague said:"l prefer to sit in front of
they ashamed to reveal that they have done no- my TV on New Year's Eve than to be at a boring
thing all year? Or is it discretion? What they do party, where we sit and eat, and just wait for the
in their lives in nobody's business but their own. New Year to arrive." She was definitely not the
Do they think I am not interested -- when I am? only one who had these sentiments.
The second thing I have to say is that, while seve- Our world has indeed changed a lot over recent
ral of our friends have told us that they look decades. Life has become much tougher, compe-
forward to receiving our family newsletter and tition is on the rise, globalization has spread, and
appreciate reading it, there may be another point yet there should be a place for the human being
of view. Although we try to make what we write - the individual.Where is the place of the human
as interesting as possible, some people pour being, the individual in our modern society? One
scorn and derision on our 'pitiful pretension" in can only wonder. How many people do you meet
thinking that they care one jot for our "mise- with a smile on their face, or seem to be happy?
rable lives". If they do not like to read about us Perhaps it's due to the winter, but nevertheless
(just like turning the television oft) they may sim- one can only ask -- what is wrong?
ply throw the paper in the rubbish bin -- we do
not mind.They say that the epoch when people Have people forgotten to have a good time,
included family newsletters in their Christmas! laugh and just enjoy themselves? One can sim-
New Year greetings cards is long gone. But how ply wonder. Have our rich societies become so
do they know and what did they replace it with? materialistic and consumer-oriented that all we
Perhaps they did not replace it with anything. think about is money, new cars and gadgets, so
that we tend to forget the most important thing
"It's amazing," a colleague said, making reference - life and to take advantage of what life has to of-
to a newspaper article in one of the serious fer, without bothering too much about the rest?
French magazines saying that many employees
found it annoying to wish their bosses and John and Marit
colleagues a Happy New Year! Amazing, but

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Editor: Marit Fosse
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Edito 3