Photo courtesy of BBC NEWS.
This happy scene conveys the spirit of Xmas beautifully: the innocence and joy of two children dressed as Santa (one with a sagging beard), the inscrutable, indestructible ship of the desert so common in biblical times, the magnificent Taj Mahal built to honour a loved wife, the mystical Ganges in the background, the festive balloons...
If only, for a day, for even an hour, everyone in the world could be transported into this magical situation: if every child could be taken out of poverty and sickness and, like these children, experience a time of comfort and bliss and beauty and love;
and if every First World adult could revisit their childhood and, on the plodding camel, once again remember how precious that time was, how simple and joyful the world was before 'maturity' claimed them (and they threw themselves into the chasing of money and promotion and the planning of wars and takeovers and became obsessed with share portfolios, real estate, prestige and infidelity, etc.).
If only!
