Monday 7 January 2013

I have just been watching my favourite advertisement of all time. Of course, I can't tell you what it is for. I can tell you, though, that at the time it was the most expensive advertisement ever made. It involved 1000 people, 10,000 books, 75 mirrors, 45 wardrobes, 50 fridges and 6 cars, to say nothing of the 6000 dominoes which took three people 2 days to set up and 14 seconds to knock down.

When we talk about things 'going down like dominoes' it's a kind of shorthand to say that one thing leads to another, and not always in the best way. It needn't be a bad thing, though.

Just over one year ago, I wrote a little children's story in aid of a hospice charity, and the dominoes have been falling wonderfully ever since. Somebody offered to illustrate it; someone else offered to format it, another person took the formatted product and printed it and so on. Over a year later, it is still happening. People tell their friends about it, and they tell their friends about it, and some of those friends prove to be shop owners, or radio producers or animators or the kind person who offered to translate it into her native German. At every turn people have gone the extra mile to help this tiny book on its way, and to help the children who benefit from it.

For me this has been a timely and wonderful reminder that there is a fundamental goodness to human nature. When the opportunity arises to do something good and positive for those whose needs are great, people plumb the very depths in generosity of time and talent. To see another person in need, especially a child, calls out to some deep part of our human nature, I think.

I'm not sure I'll ever understand exactly what is meant by men and women being 'made in the image of God'. After all - we all look so different! Maybe part of it is here though. When we are unselfish and generous towards others in need - maybe that is when we start to take on the likeness of God.