"The quality of mercy is not strained,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath; it is twice blessed.
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes"
William Shakespeare
The Merchant of Venice IV.i.

A new year has begun. This is a fresh page in the book of our life. What are we going to fill it with?

We gave so much over Christmas. But let me ask you a few impertinent questions. What proportion of your gifts went to people who don't really need what you gave them? And what proportion did you give to people who really need your gift? How much did you give to people from whom you expect nothing in return? Answer these questions. Honestly.

If Christmas has a meaning, it is the meaning of solidarity. And solidarity is the true measure of how really rich a society is. The riches we eventually prize have nothing to do with money but everything to do with people - particularly those in need. Solidarity is a double blessing.

We had some wonderful experiences over the last few days of solidarity marathons, especially L-Istrina. Hundreds of thousands of liri were donated for some very worthy causes. There's a lot of good in this. But it is not enough. People in need have their needs every single day of the year. And their needs are not only monetary.

Today is a day for resolutions. You've probably already made your own. May I suggest a few more? In order to have a new year full of the real happiness that we experience in giving.

Name your charity. Get to know about as many charitable institutions as possible. Adopt one. Not necessarily a well-known one. But one that really appeals to you. Write down its name. Know whom it helps. Visit. Ask when is the best time to help. And make a commitment to help for so much time per week or per month. You would be surprised how well-spent and satisfying that time will be.

Have a large balance in your solidarity account. Buy a notebook. Name it 'solidarity account'. And write down how much time you spend in solidarity. Have a running balance and watch it grow. Tell others how many hours you spent helping your adopted charity. Yes, show off! Keep your solidarity account notebook with your bank account statements. And see which one gives you most satisfaction.

Encourage your employer to partner a charity. Appeal to his business mind by extolling the good PR for the company there is in partnering a charity. Encourage your employer to make regular contributions. More than that, tell him to organise a day per quarter during which all employees stop and help the company's adopted charity. Tell the accounts department to make sure they get this mentioned in the yearly financial statements.

Ask parliamentary candidates about solidarity. This year they will be visiting. Tell them what a wonderful idea it would be if government dedicates Lm2 or Lm3 million to double the money collected by campaigns like L-Istrina and so many others. Tell them how petty they look when they let partisan pique enter such campaigns.

Ask them where your taxes are going. Tell them how disappointed you are that you have only a very indirect control on what your taxes are spent upon. Tell them to substitute the logic of clientelism (which will be rampant this year) with the logic of solidarity. Ask them to commit themselves that a percentage of your income tax go directly to a charity you would be able to choose in your tax return.

Tell them to organise a solidarity contest. We have Worker of the Year, Senior Citizen of the Year, Youth of the Year. Why not Solidarity Organiser of the Year? Let's have models of solidarity. It might sound too competitive. But what's wrong in learning from people and events that have been a success in solidarity?

Those who bring sunshine to others cannot keep it from themselves. Adopt some or all of these ideas. Add your own. A new year is a new chapter in time. Time can give and time can take away too. But time cannot take away what has already been given. Let's have double blessings.

"My religion is very simple -
my religion is kindness" -
The Dalai Lama