The Moralist

We live in an age of question. We question everything. We believe there are no certainties. In fact, the only thing we seem to believe firmly is that firm belief of any kind is somehow idiotic and intolerant. While it's true some firm beliefs are better viewed as lies, having a strong opinion is not in and of itself a bad thing.

No one knew this better than Charles Dickens. You hear the author's name a lot this time of year because his masterpiece, A Christmas Carol is now considered as much a part of Christmas as is garland on a tree. Still, Dickens was more than an entertaining writer, he was a literary moralist who not only exposed the world as he knew it, but pointed out it's foibles and hopes, as well.

Dickens wanted to do more than create art. He wanted to use that art to make the world a better place. He believed things like charity, good will, loyalty, self esteem and repentance were important – and he wasn't afraid to say it. Today we find such themes to be, well, corny. 

That's a shame.

None of this is to say that Dickens was a saint or was someone whose personal life is to be widely admired. While certainly no worse than some literary celebrities, the man most definitely had his flaws. Still, it's not the flaws that he left us with. It's his body of work. And that body of work reverberates through to this day.

Even if we don't want to believe it.