Mr Kirk Calls For Good Will

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31871, 26 December 1968, Page 14

Mr Kirk Calls For Good Will

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, December 25. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk) in his Christmas message emphasised the need for good will among men.

“If for most New Zealanders Christmas is a time of holidays, of family assemblies, gifts and greetings, its deeper and real significance should not be ignored,” he said. “For at Christmas we celebrate a birth and commencement of a life. It was a short life, a live lived in utter simplicity, yet by its compelling example it exerted, and continues to exert, a beneficial and living influence on the lives of us all. “No single life, before or since, has had so powerful an impact upon, or so radically changed the course of, human destiny. “It was a life that brings hope and comfort to those in despair. It gives courage in the face of adversity, it inspires and encourages all who believe in, and work for, a better world and a better way of life,” Mr Kirk said. “ ‘On earth peace, good will among men.’ That is the spirit of Christmas. How great is the need for good will, not only from person to person, but from country to country. v “All that has been built up

over the years in the name of truth, all human relationships, all great art, all productive and cultural advances could so easily be destroyed by men’s scientific achievements, or by indifference to one another. “Our existence depends on peace, and peace can only come from good will,” he said. I “This is human rights year. |ln some countries men reach lout for the stars. In others. I hands are stretched out for !food. In some countries briljliant minds and talented j hands sustain and even extend human life with transplant operations. In others, men whose life span is but a fraction of our own die because of the lack of elemenjtary medical assistance. “ ‘On earth peace, good will among men’ does not just mean the absence of war. It means an end to the violation of human rights. The concept of all men being created equal and having equal rights and the right tn equal opportunities is fund:-, mental to the message of Christmas. “Inspired by this concept, many countries have already eliminated poverty and hunger. and their attendant social evils,” he said. I “It is just to declare that la world that conquers space, that can create weapons of ! instant destruction, that can i through the magic of television let us witness events in the farthermost comers of the earth, also has the resources and the organising ability to make the hope of all men being equal in status, rights and opportunities, a reality. “Now is the time when all should strive to establish the era of peace and plenty.. This is the time when good will, understanding and forbearance should govern our actions and the action of all people at all times,” Mr Kirk said. He concluded his message by wishing all persons a happy Christmas and a good New Year.