12-24-12
Dear
Edie,
Yesterday
I pinged my emotions. I was listening to hear what came back as to
why I feel the way I do about Christmas. What happened to me? Why
this mask? Why dedicate all this energy to being annoyed? Why can't I
be ambivalent when I look at all the Stuff ?
I
was surprised by what I heard coming back from my inner question... I
think it is the disconnect between Christ's actions and this fucked
up world we live in....I
think it bugs me because Christmas celebrates the person rather than
the actions of Christ.
I
like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are
so unlike your Christ.
-Mahatma
Gandhi
(Adding
insult to injury, the person being exalted is Santa Claus!)
(Ironically it seems the Republicans are right on one issue: P.C-ness
has stripped Christ from Christmas. And with this neutering any
connections to the sacred and profound are sacrificed on the alter of
the cash register.)
(We
have talked about this before Edie, but I don't think it is a
coincidence that Christmas Day is always near the Winter Solstice.
The birth of Christ = the return of Light. The metaphor is rather
obvious. But what is unemphasized in our culture is that it's just
part of a cycle with Darkness, turn,turn,turn: It is a sine wave. We
can see this as we watch the sun set from our deck further south then
eventually turn around and march north again as the days get longer.)
Anyway,
how does one celebrate deeds or actions without actions of ones own?
Maybe we need to add some deeds to our traditions?
I
think the Magi and their gifts threw us off the trail. We took the
gift motif and ran right off the path.
Over
time our culture chose gifts not acts, stuff not substance. I would
say an apt metaphor would be smoke to fire, but it is not even that.
It is like the echo of an ember's pop off a stone canyon's wall- the
real spark happened long before what we perceive today as Christmas.
This
is going to sound very hippy, but perhaps the way to celebrate Christ
is to be like him: Help People. (And yet my actions to date go no
further than a sour taste in my mouth. (Complaining in your head can
only do so much good...)) I will work to add actions to my words....
You know what? That's
why I like Christmas music. The message and the lyrics. The oldness
of the melodies, (they are like Beatles songs in their familiarity.)
These select Christmas songs are the only remaining subtle tastes of
the sacred and spiritual in our 'Christmas Holiday time'. Some of
these songs sing of peace and holiness-of hope and joy. They act as
arrows pointing back to meaning.
You
know Edie, now that I think about it, it is all the 'Charlie Brown
Christmas Television Special’s' fault! Linus in the spotlight with
his sincere decree about what the spirit of Christmas is about. You
can blame that TV show! Here you can watch Linus's speech....
I
want to decree as well: There are other traditions we have at
Christmas that I do like: I like our family time. I really do value
our togetherness. I also like our wind up toy competition. I want to
tell you, I like how we decided last year that we would not travel
and we will stay at home and build our own traditions. I think a
major aspect of the Christmas is PEACE, and traveling and schedules
diminishes this peace with every traffic jam and hurried plan. I will
make choices next year to bolster this decision.
Or
maybe next year we could start our own religion based on the
Biofield?
http://www.croftcommunications.com/mandala_science/biofield.html
Within our Biofield based religion there will be no person to be revered, no person to make mistakes. What do you think? Shouldn't be too much work :-P ....
Anyway
again, I hope this explains a little of my grinch-itude. I know I am
not an easy person to be with in December. I am sorry. I do not want
your or our kid's memory of Christmas tainted by my bah-humbugedness.
I will try and cultivate ambivalence and be quiet until our Biofield
religion gets off the ground. I will try not to sing this song:Link to ... NSFW Christmas Song
Forgive
me. I love you,
Derek
