Goodbye Christmas
Well, yesterday I "celebrated" Christmas with Jennifer, her family, and to some extent, Eric. Fern and I opened presents we gave each other. Afterwards, we had a nice dinner at Fern's parent's house, with her parents, her sister and her sister's boyfriend.
The irony of me, an agnostic, voluntarily engaging in activities associated with the most Christian of Christian holidays, was certainly recognized by myself more than once in the days leading up to Christmas, during the hours I spent shopping and preparing gifts or listening to Christmas music at work. Clearly I don't believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Or that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to the "King of the Jews". Nor do I believe that a star led three wise men to a manger. Not only do I not believe these things, but I find the persistence of and the propagation of the myth as well as so many countless aspects of religious belief both appalling and abhorrent.
What's more, I possess a rebellious streak when it comes to most any form of tradition. I've chosen to see tradition primarily as a form of control, of enslaving bodies and minds that are already controlled and constrained beyond a level that is easy to feel comfortable with. I know good and well that I don't need to have such a negative perception of religion, tradition in general, or life itself; but I made the decision long ago (or perhaps its simply in my nature) to open my eyes to any enemies of freedom and reason, and to oppose those things-blissful ignorance and conformity be damned. Its just that I feel more alive when I'm fighting anything and everything that threatens to get in my way; whether it be the self-granted authority of religions, the systems of belief they use to enslave our minds, or something as unimportant as disorganization at my place of employment.
The reason I bring up this talent of mine for identifying the negative and seeking to eliminate it (at least from my own life) is because it provides some support for a notion I've had lately. It goes something like this: Happiness could be defined much more broadly as whatever it feels like when you fall in line with your natural inclinations. For example, I feel quite rebellious, even angry, towards tradition, or anything that threatens to diminish human freedom. One might say that this rebellious, angry feeling is a form of being happy, because it feels like satisfaction. It feels as though it is the affirmation, the realization of something deeply ingrained, something instinctual. In fact, its easy to imagine that my ancestors could have made good use of such separatist, progressive inclinations for their own survival and propagation. This is the evolutionary defense of Destiny. We are happy when we are acting on what feels like our destiny, whether that involves raising children, preaching a sermon, competing, learning, making things, fighting, etc, etc. My point is that the actual feeling that different people experience while tending to their destiny is what deserves to be called happiness, but those feelings are in fact as different and varied as individuals are.
Alright, I've veered off topic. I wanted to address the irony of agnostics and atheists celebrating Christmas. First, I have to say that Christmas has spilled out beyond its religious foundation. It is now a cultural phenomenon largely devoid of meaning beyond "love is the answer". Still, if I were truly principled, if I really had cajones grande, I'd refuse to recognize the holiday all together. And who knows, maybe I will next year. Before I blow off Christmas all together, I'd want to make sure that what is left in my life is not just another winter day. I do think that there are plenty of reasons to celebrate life, and there are so many fun and creative ways to do so. I'll need to reserve a few days on the calendar for special celebrations and special recognition of the people I love and appreciate. Better start planning.
The irony of me, an agnostic, voluntarily engaging in activities associated with the most Christian of Christian holidays, was certainly recognized by myself more than once in the days leading up to Christmas, during the hours I spent shopping and preparing gifts or listening to Christmas music at work. Clearly I don't believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Or that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to the "King of the Jews". Nor do I believe that a star led three wise men to a manger. Not only do I not believe these things, but I find the persistence of and the propagation of the myth as well as so many countless aspects of religious belief both appalling and abhorrent.
What's more, I possess a rebellious streak when it comes to most any form of tradition. I've chosen to see tradition primarily as a form of control, of enslaving bodies and minds that are already controlled and constrained beyond a level that is easy to feel comfortable with. I know good and well that I don't need to have such a negative perception of religion, tradition in general, or life itself; but I made the decision long ago (or perhaps its simply in my nature) to open my eyes to any enemies of freedom and reason, and to oppose those things-blissful ignorance and conformity be damned. Its just that I feel more alive when I'm fighting anything and everything that threatens to get in my way; whether it be the self-granted authority of religions, the systems of belief they use to enslave our minds, or something as unimportant as disorganization at my place of employment.
The reason I bring up this talent of mine for identifying the negative and seeking to eliminate it (at least from my own life) is because it provides some support for a notion I've had lately. It goes something like this: Happiness could be defined much more broadly as whatever it feels like when you fall in line with your natural inclinations. For example, I feel quite rebellious, even angry, towards tradition, or anything that threatens to diminish human freedom. One might say that this rebellious, angry feeling is a form of being happy, because it feels like satisfaction. It feels as though it is the affirmation, the realization of something deeply ingrained, something instinctual. In fact, its easy to imagine that my ancestors could have made good use of such separatist, progressive inclinations for their own survival and propagation. This is the evolutionary defense of Destiny. We are happy when we are acting on what feels like our destiny, whether that involves raising children, preaching a sermon, competing, learning, making things, fighting, etc, etc. My point is that the actual feeling that different people experience while tending to their destiny is what deserves to be called happiness, but those feelings are in fact as different and varied as individuals are.
Alright, I've veered off topic. I wanted to address the irony of agnostics and atheists celebrating Christmas. First, I have to say that Christmas has spilled out beyond its religious foundation. It is now a cultural phenomenon largely devoid of meaning beyond "love is the answer". Still, if I were truly principled, if I really had cajones grande, I'd refuse to recognize the holiday all together. And who knows, maybe I will next year. Before I blow off Christmas all together, I'd want to make sure that what is left in my life is not just another winter day. I do think that there are plenty of reasons to celebrate life, and there are so many fun and creative ways to do so. I'll need to reserve a few days on the calendar for special celebrations and special recognition of the people I love and appreciate. Better start planning.
posted by Josh at
9:40 PM
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