much of the world, Bermuda's cup overflows.

We are blessed with peace and stability, a good standard of living, full employment and a pleasant place in which to live and work.

But this is also the time of year when we remember those who are less fortunate, who may be going hungry or who have no shelter not just now but throughout the year. As this week's Royal Gazette series on the homeless shows, there are many who are in this position, who are "invisible but all around''.

There are also people who have the material comforts of life they need, but are denied the spiritual comforts which are essential to happiness, like the presence of friends and family. Yesterday's Royal Gazette told the story of residents in the Continuing Care Unit at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital who are ignored and neglected by their families, not out of cruelty, but apathy.

It is hard to know which is worse. For the lonely, Christmas can be the worst of times.

Many of the messages in today's newspaper emphasise how the caring and giving spirit which characterise Christmas needs to be a part of our lives throughout the year; it is easy to say and much harder to do. But by taking small steps, a society can improve.

One way to do that is through increased tolerance.

Jesus, whose birth Christians celebrate on Monday, preached that we should all practise it. And if there is a lesson that Bermudians can take into the next year, it is that, like Jesus' Good Samaritan, we should reach out to others to help them, regardless of our prejudices or biases.

Whether we are white or black, Bermudian or non-Bermudian, male or female, young or old, everyone deserves to be treated with equal respect and everyone deserves to have their opinions and beliefs heard and not ridiculed.

Bermuda is too small and too delicate to be divided. We can celebrate our diversity, but we also need to recognise that everyone has equal rights and responsibilities and that our similarities far outnumber our differences.

If places wracked by ethnic and sectarian dissent like South Africa, Northern Ireland and Kosovo can achieve peace agreements which few thought possible, then Bermuda can overcome the differences which divide us in order to become a more open and tolerant society.

That would be something worth celebrating on December 25, 2000.