December 21, 2010

Day 21 - The Spirit of Christmas

Readers far and wide, please enjoy a contribution from a Guest Blogger who shall remain anonymous. For the sake of it we shall refer to said Blogger as Bob from Cleveland....

I’ve been fortunate enough to be invited to guest blog as part of this Holiday series, and welcome the opportunity with all the vim and vigor of a young child on Christmas Morning! It’s appropriate that I step in today, 12/21, two years to the day prior to the most impressive celestial event our world will ever witness, a moment that has been defined as one of unavoidable change to our world. While I don’t subscribe blindly (surprise, surprise) to the Mayan prediction that the world will end 2 years from now, I do see this as a time we can all EVOLVE. What better time to embrace one another and open our minds. I think we all, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, Agnostics and Humanists can universally agree on the best part of the season:

The Spirit of Christmas.

This is a time of year where everyone realizes the balance between giving and receiving. Unlike the (sometimes obligatory) act of Birthday gift giving, occasional community service (some of you probably do, right?), regular phone calls to check in with family and friends, there is something about this time of year that drives us to be a better person, to reach out to those we love, to want to see those around us feel that joy in their soul the way we all do this time of year. We get to experience the high we feel when humanity is at its best; Chilean miners being rescued, a German wall crumbling down, our own nation flying our flags in unity, without the tragedy that often precedes these events.

We all define this spirit in a variety of ways. The religious will tell you it is GOD at work, and that feeling is b/c GOD is very real. Others may believe it is religion itself that provides this irrefutable feeling of community. Non-believers may attribute it simply to the fact that this is, with all its celebration and merriment, simply a fun fucking time of year! I am no theologian, nor would I ever look to lead one’s beliefs to or from that which makes them feel whole, but it is time to reveal my thoughts on the subject and my hope that we can all grow from gaining an understanding of one another. After all, if we all share this undeniable feeling known as The Spirit of Christmas, perhaps we share more common ground than we realize.

I typically identify myself as Atheist, although I’m more appropriately labeled a Secular Humanist. It pains me that the mere mention of this strikes fear and disgust in so many. Nobody wants to be told they’ve been believing a fairy tale their whole lives, especially since so many already know it in their hearts but don’t see the benefit in crushing the dream, potentially disrespecting their family history, and taking the unnecessary risk should Judgment Day exist. I get that. I enjoy the thought provoking and entertaining dialogue that is often generated from debating with a well educated (no, not an oxymoron) believer. I also respect the stability (aka: crutch) that this faith in GOD provides to those who, for whatever reason, need this in their lives. I, on the other hand, place my faith (yes, Atheism need not be void of faith!) in something more concrete; Humanity.

Shocking as it may be, I believe. I believe in the collective good of Humanity. I also recognize the sometimes equally powerful collective evil Humanity contains. Not too dissimilar to religion’s belief in Angels and Demons, Heaven and Hell. I believe that said collective good will continue to win this constant battle. I believe that when each of us pours our energy into positive growth, there exists a kind of powerful energy around Humanity that can perpetuate this collective good. Kind of a “whole is greater than the sum of its parts” existence. Not too unlike a believer’s belief in, dare I say it, GOD (without that silly personification, of course!). Conversely, the energy I speak of is fueled by humanity itself. By FREE WILL. By you and I. Nevertheless, our differences lie in the means, not by the ends.

The point, my friends, is that we should all embrace one another’s beliefs and non-beliefs, as they contain infinitely more similarities than we realize once we open our minds to one another and eliminate the often comical details that have evolved over thousands of years like a dangerous game of “Telephone”. There is truth to the axiom of “The Devil is in the Details”. It’s what separates us all, and it doesn’t have to. So this Holiday Season, whether you believe in GOD, religion, science, Mayan theories of destruction or even little green elves and a fat bearded man living atop the earth’s axis, we can all embrace the Spirit of Christmas for the ends rather than the means, and make this Holiday season one of joy, love, and most importantly, ACCEPTANCE.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to EVERYONE!

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