Dream with me

A Musing on Christmas

Please read one back!

After writing my diary I of course checked my links and found several diaries laying in to Christmas. Going at the patriarcal image of Santa, the capitalism of the season and the politics in this new "we shall offend no religion for fear of being killed" attitude the world is developing.

And I say? Lay off the season of good will for goodness sake!

Christmas is the one time of the year when we're not supposed to have to worry about this shit! The one three day period when we can eat, drink and be merry and feel guilty about it later!

I don't want to spend the next week being repreimanded for enjoying this holiday everytime I open a newspaper or read a diary. All you hear about is how Christmas isn't like the old days.

Well no shit. A lot of things aren't like the old days, it's called progression.

Kids want more "stuff" and less family crap. Fine by me! People put a little too much faith in the "family crap" for me.

We buy stuff because it makes us feel good to give and to recieve. I for one am excited about giving presents to my family, and I greatly enjoyed giving them to my friends. Simply because it put a smile on their faces, because someone cared enough to go out and think about them and what they would like.

So yes, I like the capitalistic aspects to Christmas. I'm hardly a radical, most people are not, but sometimes I get the feeling that some "true" radicals don't like people who only agree with some of their philosophies. And even then it's generally only in principle, most socialist ideologies don't work in practice. Like communism it relies on one impossible to achieve factor:

People cannot be people.

Captialism works because humans are territorial creatures. Our territory covers our homes and the stuff we own. The more stuff we own the more powerful we feel or are percieved to be, which is why capitalism works.

We cannot fight human nature, it's what we are and it's what makes us what we are. It drives everything we do.

Some people say that as intelligent creatures we should be able to evolve beyond that need, but those are generally the same people who believe coming down from the trees was our first big mistake.

Besides, as a species we are very young and evolution takes millions of years. Evolving out of instincts even longer. We are all slaves to natures law, there is no escaping that, no matter how far we think we have come. There is always further to go.

I like Christmas, and what it represents. It's a short time of year when all the shit is meaningless. I don't have to read or watch about bombing, murders and political intrigue if I don't want too. For once, there is something else that I can think about, something to make me feel good about ourselves and the world we live in.

And yeah, the worlds not a totally wonderful place to live. There is a hell of a lot that could stand to change. But for three days out of three hundred and sixty five I like to feel good about it.

If I can't, I feel like I may go mad. Because, even if it is a shit hole this is the only world we have and we have to live here, love it or lothe it.

So what is wrong with loving it, every once in a very great while?

And I don't think it matters what religion you are around Christmas. I think almost every human being can embrace the basic message of Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men, can't they? Christmas may have a Christian name but it encompases basic humanitarian values.

After all, it started as a Pagan holiday, didn't it?

So as I said before, lay off Christmas and all it's supposed short comings and look at what it represents.

And then Enjoy It you cumudgenly old cynics!