Today, the day after Christmas, is the Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. As he was being stoned to death, he prayed for his attackers.
There is a video of the Christmas Eve dinner at Mar-A-Lago. Trump is sitting at a cordoned-off table, with his wife Melania and an unidentified man. Melania is talking to the man, Trump is alone, mostly ignored. It was sad.
In Buddhist traditions, we are asked to treat enemies as treasures and spiritual friends:
When I see ill-natured people, Overwhelmed by wrong deeds and pain, May I cherish them as something rare, As though I had found a treasure-trove…
Even if someone whom I have helped And in whom I have placed my hopes Does great wrong by harming me, May I see them as an excellent spiritual friend.
If you are one of the many affected directly or indirectly by what appears to be a one-man mission to carelessly hurt others and make things worse, it is beyond challenging to “love your enemy”—no matter that we have that advice on good authority.
A couple of things:
Empathy makes you stronger, not weaker.
Empathy does not mean giving up on trying to work against the worst and for the best, including opposition to those “ill-natured people, overwhelmed by wrong deeds and pain.”
In the 1950s, Woolworth’s was one of America’s retail giants, with hundreds of stores everywhere in the nation. It was known as the “five-and-ten-cent store”, though by that time, while it was still a value variety store, most items weren’t a nickel or dime.
At Christmas, Woolworth’s published a comic book, Woolworth’s Happy Time Christmas Book. It contained a few holiday comics, but mostly it was page after page of product promotions aimed at kids—and at parents who did the shopping.
Below are just a few of the pages, a taste of the experience of Christmas, shopping, childhood and parenthood in America circa 1952.
I’ve posted before about the infancy gospels, Christian texts that fill in missing information about the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. These gospels are apocryphal—they are not included in the biblical canon—but have been influential and interesting for centuries.
The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew includes a fascinating story about dragons and wild beasts worshiping Jesus:
18 Baby Jesus Is Worshiped by Dragons and Other Wild Beasts
1 When they arrived at a certain cave where they wanted to cool themselves off, Mary came off the donkey and sat down, and held Jesus on her lap. There were three male servants with them on the road, and one female servant with Mary. And behold, suddenly many dragons came out of the cave. When the servants saw them they cried out. Then the Lord, even though he was not yet two years old, roused himself, got to his feet, and stood in front of them. And the dragons worshiped him. When they finished worshiping him, they went away. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet in the Psalms, who said, “Praise the Lord from the earth, O dragons and all the places of the abyss.”
2 The Lord Jesus Christ, though just a small child, walked along with them so that he might not be a burden to anyone. Mary and Joseph were saying to one another, “It would be better for those dragons to kill us than to harm the child.” Jesus said to them, “Do not think of me as a young child, for I have always been the perfect man, and am now; and it is necessary for me to tame every kind of wild beast.”
Of all the early Christian apocrypha, none played a larger a role in the theology, culture, and popular imagination of late antiquity and the Middle Ages than the Proto-Gospel of James. This is the Gospel “prior to” the Gospel, an account of the events leading up to and immediately following the birth of Jesus. Bart Ehrman, The Other Gospels: Accounts of Jesus from Outside the New Testament
In this story, time stands still for Joseph:
18 Joseph Watches Time Stand Still
1 He found a cave there and took her into it. Then he gave his sons to her and went out to find a Hebrew midwife in the region of Bethlehem.
2 But I, Joseph, was walking, and I was not walking. I looked up to the vault of the sky, and I saw it standing still, and into the air, and I saw that it was greatly disturbed, and the birds of the sky were at rest. I looked down to the earth and saw a bowl laid out for some workers who were reclining to eat. Their hands were in the bowl, but those who were chewing were not chewing; and those who were taking something from the bowl were not lifting it up; and those who were bringing their hands to their mouths were not bringing them to their mouths. Everyone was looking up. I saw a flock of sheep being herded, but they were standing still. The shepherd raised his hand to strike them, but his hand remained in the air. I looked down at the torrential stream, and I saw some goats whose mouths were over the water, but they were not drinking. Then suddenly everything returned to its normal course.
Bart Ehrman, a leading expert on these gospels, writes that every time he reads this passage, he thinks of the Twilight Zone.
Consider this history, consider this a story. It concerns a profound matter, for believers and non-believers, for philosophers and scientists.
In contracts, the term “time is of the essence” is commonly included. Meaning that it is a primary element of performance.
In the Bible, the story begins with time. The usual first word in translation is “when”, followed by a counting of days.
Time is of the essence. In our lives, we keep time, mark time, use time wisely, foolishly, carefully, carelessly. One thing we know, or think we know, whatever time is, it does not stop. Or can it?
A number of religions, not just Christianity and Judaism, have major or minor holidays this time of year. While individuals focus on their own faith, it is also a time to think about following any religion.
The word “better” above is in quotes, because there is not a singular standard for what it means to be a good or better Jew, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, etc. And among the options, I am in a weak position, or no position at all, to suggest what that might be. But I’m softly going to try, given the season.
If your idea of what it means to be a better adherent to your religion involves inflicting suffering, pain, abuse, damage to others, you should think again. Investigate whether there is something in your religion, maybe in the most basic and sacred moments and ideas, that contradicts that. Investigate whether you have been misled or have misled yourself, because they and you are human with all the human tendencies that those higher teachings are trying to change.
Christmas is just one example. Innocence is born, with the power and potential to do great good. Others are committed to eradicating that potential as soon as possible, and if not at the start, later on. If you think that is just a religious story, it is not. It is the story of history and the story of any day, this day, torn from the headlines.
Which side of the story are you on? Will you use your religion as pretext and excuse for being on the wrong side? Will you use your religion, which has been trying to teach you this, to rise above your natural human limitations and be…better?
Today is the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. The shortest daylight of the year, the start of the inexorable amble to…more light!
During difficult times—war, pandemic, etc.—it can be hard to look away from whatever shady public events overwhelm our attention. It has been said this year that like the Grinch, some seem committed to stealing Christmas from us.
“They” haven’t stolen Christmas and “they” will not steal the winter solstice.
If you are in the northern hemisphere (some of you are not, so happy summer solstice), the winter solstice is a little different in different places. Warmer places get a little colder while more moderate places get a lot colder.
Here is the good news. The earth, our home planet, is circling and spinning. The day lights will get longer, the dark nights will get shorter. Spring will arrive in three months. Ever thus.
“A monster had arrived in the village. Just by using his mind, he took away the automobiles, the electricity, the machines, because they displeased him. And he moved an entire community back into the Dark Ages, just by using his mind.”
Rod Serling introduces the Twilight Zone episode It’s a Good Life (Season 3, Episode 8):
Tonight’s story on The Twilight Zone is somewhat unique and calls for a different kind of introduction. This, as you may recognize, is a map of the United States, and there’s a little town there called Peaksville. On a given morning not too long ago, the rest of the world disappeared, and Peaksville was left all alone. Its inhabitants were never sure whether the world was destroyed and only Peaksville was left untouched, or whether the village had somehow been taken away. They were, on the other hand, sure of one thing – the cause. A monster had arrived in the village. Just by using his mind, he took away the automobiles, the electricity, the machines, because they displeased him. And he moved an entire community back into the Dark Ages, just by using his mind. Now I’d like to introduce you to some of the people in Peaksville, Ohio. This is Mr. Fremont. It’s in his farmhouse that the monster resides. This is Mrs. Fremont. And this is Aunt Amy, who probably had more control over the monster in the beginning than almost anyone. But one day she forgot. She began to sing aloud. Now the monster doesn’t like singing, so his mind snapped at her, and turned her into the smiling vacant thing you’re looking at now. She sings no more. And you’ll note that the people in Peaksville, Ohio, have to smile. They have to think happy thoughts and say happy things because, once displeased, the monster can wish them into a cornfield, or change them into a grotesque walking horror. This particular monster can read minds, you see. He knows every thought, he can feel every emotion. Oh, yes, I did forget something, didn’t I. I forgot to introduce you to the monster. This is the monster. His name is Anthony Fremont. He’s six years old with a cute little-boy face and blue guileless eyes. But when those eyes look at you, you’d better start thinking happy thoughts. Because the mind behind them is absolutely in charge. This is the Twilight Zone.
Serling closes the episode:
No comment here. No comment at all. We only wanted to introduce you to one of our very special citizens, little Anthony Fremont, age 6, who lives in a village called Peaksville, in a place that used to be Ohio. And if by some strange chance you should run across him, you had best think only good thoughts. Anything less than that is handled at your own risk. Because if you do meet Anthony, you can be sure of one thing: you have entered the Twilight Zone.
Below is a five-minute clip from the episode. If you can and are willing, you will find this episode streaming. It was originally scary, but today you might find it scarier that a man-child with infinite power demands that people have good thoughts about him—or else.
“I negotiated directly with the drug companies and foreign nations, which were taken advantage of our country for many decades to slash prices on drugs and pharmaceuticals by as much as 400, 500 and even 600 percent.” Trump, December 17, 2025 and other times
Your next steps
If they make a simple mistake and own it quickly → consider proceeding but stay alert for other errors
If they can’t admit the error or get defensive → serious credibility problem
Either way, do additional due diligence — verify other claims they’ve made independently
Bottom line: If someone asking for your money, business, or trust can’t get basic facts right (or won’t admit when they’re wrong), that’s your cue to either walk away or scrutinize everything else much more carefully. Claude AI
Bob:
Someone said he had slashed prices by 600%. Is that possible?
Claude:
No, that’s not mathematically possible in any meaningful way.
When you reduce a price by a percentage, you’re taking away that percentage of the original price. A 100% reduction would bring the price to zero (you’ve reduced it by the entire amount).
If you tried to reduce by 600%, you’d be subtracting 6 times the original price, which would give you a negative price — meaning you’d somehow be paying customers to take the product.
Bob:
What should I say to someone who claims to slash prices by 600%?
Claude:
Here are some approaches depending on the context:
If it’s casual conversation:
Just let it slide — they clearly mean prices are very low, and you understood the point
Make a light joke: “So you’re paying me to buy it?” with a smile
Gently clarify: “You mean 60% off? That’s a great deal!”
If it’s a business/professional setting:
Politely ask for clarification: “Just to make sure I understand — do you mean prices are reduced by 60%, or that they’re now 1/6th of the original?”
Focus on the actual numbers: “What’s the new price compared to the old one?” (sidesteps the percentage issue entirely)
If it’s advertising/marketing:
For a formal complaint: Point out that “reductions over 100% are mathematically impossible” and ask for accurate pricing information
If you’re a colleague: Privately mention “Hey, I think you meant 60% — the ad says 600% which doesn’t work mathematically”
The diplomatic approach: Give them an easy out: “I think there might be a typo — did you mean 60% off or maybe prices are 1/6th of what they were?”
Most people make this mistake innocently (typo, brain slip, or genuine confusion), so gentle correction or just ignoring it is usually the way to go unless accuracy really matters in that situation.
Bob:
What if it is a business or professional setting, where someone making the claim is asking you to give them something of value—your business, your money, your endorsement, your approval, your trust?
Claude:
In that case, this is a serious red flag and you should address it directly. Here’s why and how:
Why it matters: This reveals one of three problems, all concerning:
They don’t understand basic math — raises questions about competence
They’re being careless with facts — suggests poor attention to detail
They’re hoping you won’t notice — potential dishonesty
Any of these should make you pause before giving them your money, business, or endorsement.
How to address it:
Be direct but professional:
“I notice you said you’ve reduced prices by 600%. That’s mathematically impossible — you can only reduce by up to 100%. Can you clarify what you actually mean?”
Wait for their response and watch how they handle being corrected
What their response tells you:
Good sign: “Oh! Sorry, I meant 60% — my mistake” (owns it quickly)
Concerning: Defensiveness, doubling down, or vague deflection
Red flag: “Well, you know what I mean” or dismissing your concern
Your next steps:
If they make a simple mistake and own it quickly → consider proceeding but stay alert for other errors
If they can’t admit the error or get defensive → serious credibility problem
Either way, do additional due diligence — verify other claims they’ve made independently
Bottom line: If someone asking for your money, business, or trust can’t get basic facts right (or won’t admit when they’re wrong), that’s your cue to either walk away or scrutinize everything else much more carefully.
Oh, my love, we live in troubled days Oh, my friend, we have the strangest ways All my friends on this one day of days Thank God it’s Christmas
Oh, my love, we’ve had our share of tears Oh, my friend, we’ve had our hopes and fears Oh, my friends, it’s been a long hard year
But now it’s Christmas Yes, it’s Christmas Thank God it’s Christmas
The moon and stars seem awful cold and bright Let’s hope the snow will make this Christmas right My friend, the world will share this special night
Because it’s Christmas Yes, it’s Christmas Thank God it’s Christmas For one night
Thank God it’s Christmas Thank God it’s Christmas Thank God it’s Christmas Can it be Christmas? Let it be Christmas Every day
Oh, my love, we live in troubled days Oh, my friend, we have the strangest ways All my friends on this one day of days Thank God it’s Christmas Yes it’s Christmas Thank God it’s Christmas For one day
Bob Schwartz 