Education continues when schools are closed for holidays. This might be self-evident but we so often conflate education and schooling that we could be forgiven for thinking that education is a school-based endeavour.
At this time of the year education in the virtues is important, especially the virtue of detachment from a surfeit of materialism and the virtue of charity. Families and various community groups, including our schools, have a wonderful opportunity to demonstate these virtues by going to the aid of those in any kind of need.
In looking towards 'the other', we educate ourselves in detachment from our own needs by the practice of charity towards the needs of others. The exchange of gifts between friends and family is of little merit if we cannot give freely of our time and interest to at least one of the many social initiatives designed to promote human flourishing.
During this Christmas holiday, perhaps we can take some time to consider ways in which we will support some worthwhile project in 2014. Who knows, we might even decide to start up one of own!
