Charles Harris author ~

My UnChristmas Message

For the next two weeks, the Christmas religion of consumerism tells us everyone is supposed to achieve peak happiness. If we don’t, there’s surely something wrong with us. 

Time, perhaps, for an UnChristmas message instead…

Here it is:

Stop trying 

Stop trying to have a good time.

Stop trying to be someone you aren’t.

Stop even trying to stop trying. 

Instead:

Observe.

Actors pretending to be in love

When I started directing actors, I found something strange and unusual.

Sometimes two actors would have difficulty playing a scene in which they had to pretend to be in love.

I just didn’t believe them. And they didn’t believe themselves either.

We tried different approaches – remembering love, imagining the other person was someone they did indeed love. But nothing worked.

In desperation, playing for time while I thought up more ideas, I asked them to observe each other with great care.

Every little detail – the colour of their hair, the texture of their skin, the sound of the other person’s voice, what they smelled like…

And something rather strange happened.

They started to look like they were in love.

And believe it too.

No targets

The Zen gurus of old understood that there were no targets to attain. No one to convince. 

All you have to do is live. And observe.

(And you don’t even have to do that last one if you don’t want to).

Have a very merry Christmas and a successful New Year. Whatever that means for you.