Just now they are singing carols and collecting food and toys for the less fortunate. Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes but they all have something in common. That is that they see a need to do something for others somewhere outside their own homes . They may run football teams and drama groups or they may volunteer in the wake of a natural disaster. There are thousands of groups and bodies that need volunteers. What is often forgotten is that volunteering can be enjoyable as well as rewarding. It is a way of making friends with like minded people. It can be tiring, demoralising and frustrating but it can also be fun. So look around , see a need and help out. You’ll be glad you did.

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Depression is rampant at Christmas. It probably has something to do with the expectation that everyone will be happy. It is certainly due to loneliness. It is definitely a subject that should be brought out into the open and discussed. The stigma of mental illness is a silly one. After all nobody is ashamed to say they have the mumps or the ‘flu. If we dealt with depression in the same matter of fact way the stigma would go away. That means admitting you are depressed and doing something about it. It means helping yourself by asking yourself the cause of your depression and the reason for it. If you are out of a job for instance it could certainly make you feel depressed. On the other hand if you looked on it as a challenge to master a new skill to make yourself more employable you might find yourself being too busy to feel depressed. Naturally there are different types of depression and certainly many of those who suffer do need professional medical help. Many more though could be helped by friends or relatives or could help themselves. After all we all feel depressed at some time in our lives so we all know how it feels. Whether you need self help or professional help feeling sorry for yourself won’t help. Admit how you feel and ask for help. It’s out there, you just have to reach out for it.

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Every day we read about it in the papers. Women are raped, men are killed and pensioners are attacked. Sometimes, of course, nothing could have prevented these horrors. At other times, though, they could have been prevented. We should, for instance, always be careful where we walk and with whom. We should avoid dark or lonely places. Families should know where we are going and when we will be back. We should always be in control so that nobody can take advantage of us because we are drunk or on drugs. It all sounds so sensible yet time and time again we hear of attacks taking place in areas where no sane person would travel alone. Time and time again we hear of women being so drunk they happily go off with strangers. Time and time again we hear of men being so macho that they think they can take on any gang singlehandedly. If we want to prevent such horrors it’s up to us to take care of ourselves. After all self defence starts with common sense.

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The news is full of it. In Syria and Egypt for instance there are protests in the streets. Journalists are in danger and many citizens have been tortured and killed. The trouble is that those ruling many countries don’t allow free speech. They ban it because if they allowed it the citizens would be able to voice their protests about inhumane conditions or military crack downs. For power hungry rulers free speech is dangerous. It can, quite literally, make a people rise against oppression. It can cajole thousands into taking to the streets. It can encourage ordinary citizens to become rebels. Free speech is invaluable and we who have it should support those who haven’t.

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We should talk more about friendship. After all our lives would be so much poorer without friends. We should take the opportunity given by special occasions in their lives to publicly express just what that friendship means in our own lives. So at a friend’s birthday talk about how you have shared interests and hobbies and a wonderful relationship over the years. At a friend’s wedding express your good wishes for his or her future and say why he or she deserves it. If a friend is retiring or has a wedding anniversary wish him or her the future he or she deserves. Friends empathise with to us when we are sad and rejoice when we are glad. They are there for us when we are in trouble and share the good times with us. When we lose a friend we lose something precious and we should express it in a fitting eulogy. Friendship enriches our lives in so many ways. So the motto is “Friends make them and keep them.

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Shop early for Christmas. That’s an age old advertising slogan. In these recessionary times it is something people will be doing to spread the cost of Christmas. Not everyone likes the hurly burly of the shopping mall. More and more people are, in fact, shopping online. That’s convenient but is it wise? That’s a question we would be well advised to ask ourselves. Is it safe? Will the goods be of the quality advertised? Will they arrive in time? What are the chances of fraud? There is a social consequence too to shopping on line. The sites on the internet usually belong to the bigger companies because they can afford such advertising. What though of the local businesses? Do you intend to put them out of business? Will people you know lose their jobs because of your shopping habits? Think, for instance, of the students who work part time at Christmas. In fact is it a case of shopping online – short term convenience- long term loss?

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Leadership is an acquired skill. Yet unfortunately most people think leaders are different and that they cannot aspire to be anything more than mere followers. Obviously leaders need followers but equally obviously more people could develop their leadership qualities if they tried. The world needs many more leaders. That is not to say that we can all become Presidents or run armies but we need leaders in all sorts of other spheres too. Every office needs one. So does every team and every community group. In times of recession we badly need leaders to work at providing more jobs. Lots of people have good ideas they would like to put in action but don’t because they don’t believe they have the necessary skills. The fact is that they could, with a little thought and effort, actually persuade, or lead others to do as they wanted. So remember you don’t have to be born with it. Leadership is an acquired skill.

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Persuasive speeches should come from the heart. You cannot really persuade people if you don’t believe it yourself. Whether you believe that prayer in school should be the rule or that volunteering can be fun you can only convince others if you are convinced yourself. Of course in debates people often speak for against something and don’t really believe in what they are saying. This is only using words cleverly and picking points to use as arguments. A persuasive speech should convince others of something that matters to you. In other words you should not be able to speak against it. There are, of course, thousands of subjects for such a speech so there is bound to be one that agrees with one of your beliefs. So if you believe that destiny is a matter of choice or that that homework should be banned say so and give your reasons. Even those unused to public speaking will find that it is not so difficult if they are really expressing something that matters to them.

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The execution of Troy Davis proves, yet again, that the death penalty is obscene. Very many people believed in his innocence but no matter what his crime that lethal injection is a worse crime. It is worse because it is supposedly administered by a democratic government. It is supposedly administered by a government which sends troops to defend people in other countries from being tortured and killed by their governments. Death row is an appalling indictment on the U.S. government which is totally out of step with all civilised nations who have banned the death penalty. What does it achieve? Certainly the prisoner, whether innocent or guilty, is dead. Does that prevent other murders, other rapes? It doesn’t seem to have any effect on crime rates. What about the fact that innocent people must have been executed before DNA was introduced? The death penalty is really a throwback to the Klu Klux Klan mentality. Every decent person should abhor it.

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There are thousands of diet plans in books, magazines and even in newspapers. Everyone you know has suggestions as to what to eat and how to eat. Some diets are bizarre while others appeal more to our commonsense. Obviously eating burgers, chips and coke every day will not help us become slim, trim and brimful of energy. We all know vegetables and fruit are good for us. Yet many of us continue to put on weight simply because we are couch potatoes. . What we have to do is to keep ourselves busy and occupied so that food does not take a dominant role in our lives. That does not mean that we have to run three marathons a week. It doesn’t mean that we have to take to the rapids in flimsy canoes every weekend. Exercise is important of course but a walk to the next bus stop is just as good if you do it regularly. Boredom is what makes many of us eat too much. You have to keep your mind occupied by having interests and hobbies. So join a club or go to classes Do anything that keeps your mind off food and your body off the sofa. So don’t diet, do it instead.

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