It seems like on every street corner there's someone telling us how Christmas is a sham based in pagan rituals that has morphed into irreligious rampant commercialism. On the same corners, the politically correct trip over themselves trying to be inoffensive to non-Christians. Do we need to subvert our ways to pander to the lowest common denominator in an effort not to offend anyone to prove we're hip and progressive?
Does secularism now question the very validity of Christmas?
Hard to say. However, whenever I hear someone talk about the history of Christmas I'm reminded about how elusive history can be. Take national anthems. Work with me. Once upon a time they were politically motivated nationalist tools pumping up the nation-state.Today the political aspect of anthems are absent. Most people respect anthems for what they are; a national symbol of countries. The accepted social behavior is to stand, remain silent and observe through an anthem. In other words, respect it.
That's why booing an anthem is about as low as you can get these days. Maybe at their root anthems were fair game for public derision but no longer.
Same with Christmas.
People aren't concerned that December 25 may have been chosen less for Jesus' birth (believed to be in March) and more for the winter solstice as Isaac Newton asserted. But he was a scientist who got clonked on the head with an apple, so what did he know?
Despite all the politically correct machinations, moral and religious relativism, people for the most part still accept December 25 for what it is. It doesn’t make them deniers of anything. They just go with their instincts and those instincts tell them how the Christmas spirit and holiday fills with them with good feelings.
The Christmas tree may have been a pagan symbol but it's associated with Jesus of Nazareth. Mangers people place under the tree can testify to this.
But does this mean it's open to interpretation? That all depends how society evolves with regards to it. I don't think placing two Joseph's to make a special interest point is fair interpretation. That's just silly.
I believe in Christmas knowing logically it probably is historically inaccurate. Nonetheless, I’m able to set aside my knowledge and readings of Voltaire’s secularism (and other rational philosophers for that matter) to take Christmas for what it is: a celebration of the birth of a revolutionary figure. As the Doobie Brothers once sang, Jesus is just alright.And if you’re the type to be insulted whenever you're told "Merry Christmas", well, then you’re just a crank. Someone should buy you a Bing Crosby holiday sweater, a Bobby Darin Christmas album and some marshmallows.
This is who we are. In the West, Christendom is the predominant religion and liberalism is the prevailing political philosophy. Nothing wrong in that. Just enjoy Christmas for what it is.
Look up to the night sky Christmas Eve and you'll feel Jesus' spirit if you try hard enough.
Now where's my present!
My brain wavs being now flat I might just create confusion.
ReplyDeleteI think I understand what you mean: “Let us live Christmas with intimacy, simplicity of heart, thinking about Jesus, a great revolutionary”. To live it right in the same way though one doesn’t need to believe that Jesus was the son of God.
I know it is disturbing how Europeans are sometimes. They/we are more blasé and indifferent: in some it is snobbery, but in the majority it is just the way we are (older? while you guys there are younger? Or it’s just a myth?).
Moreover most of Europeans are non religious, while most of you over there are believers. This creates a big difference. Not much can be done about it.
I am an agnostic (not an atheist) who also likes to see the historical roots of festivals, traditions etc., whereas to believers some events have an outside-history significance. Again, what can we do about it. But I assure you that Christmas to me – and to most of us - is one of the more intimate and beautiful moment for the family, something that deeply moves our soul like nothing else.
Is it because of deep ingrained stone-age winter festivals? Is it because of Christ? Is it because of our Greco-Romans roots? So hard to tell.
And I’m asking myself: what is wrong about thinking that more or less in the same period – even 8-9 centuries before Christianity arrived - the Romans exchanged gifts, lit candles, had a big banquet with gluttony, merry-making and dissipation (and were much frowned upon by Seneca and other Roman sages)?
I think in one’s heart historical reflection and sincere whole-hearted participation can coexist.
Or trying to eat the fruit of knowledge makes you blasé and decadent forever?
I think you described what I was trying to say very well - better than me.
ReplyDeleteThey can indeed coexist. I just suspend my rational thoughts for the Holidays. Sometimes we just need, well, a breather.
"Is it because of deep ingrained stone-age winter festivals? Is it because of Christ? Is it because of our Greco-Romans roots? So hard to tell."
I think it's all of these combined.
"Or trying to eat the fruit of knowledge makes you blasé and decadent forever?"
I don't think it has to be that way. You mixing fatalism and cynicism with healthy skepticism and knowledge?
"They/we are more blasé and indifferent: in some it is snobbery, but in the majority it is just the way we are (older? while you guys there are younger? Or it’s just a myth?)."
Of course our "youthful exuberance" distinguishes us but there's a fair amount of that "snobbery" here too.
Separating legitimate intellectualism from snobby trends is very tough these days. Shows like Oprah don't help either - if I were to guess based on my experiences and observations.
Many say she brings up the "issues." And I wonder why does she get to choose! I don't think she's a philosopher-host.
Then again, someone can misconstrue that as snobbery!
I just suspend my rational thoughts for the Holidays. Sometimes we just need, well, a breather.
ReplyDeleteYes, of course. When I’ll be happy in front of that tree with all my family around me (this Christmas will be special for reasons too private to tell), I will not certainly think about winter festivals or Saturnalia
Separating legitimate intellectualism from snobby trends is very tough these days.
Madonna, how true, and not only these days. It’s always been like that as far as I remember. We are surrounded by phonies motivated only by narcissism, not by real curiosity for how wonderful the world is. I never understood why people fake pleasure. Just as disturbing as when women fake orgasm.
Shows like Oprah don't help either
Never seen one of her shows. Just looked her up in the Wikipedia in order to know who the hell she was.
"Or trying to eat the fruit of knowledge makes you blasé and decadent forever?" I don't think it has to be that way. You mixing fatalism and cynicism with healthy skepticism and knowledge?
This puzzles me. I confess I quickly threw those words as a ballon d’essai, waiting for a reaction. I like reason but I use intuition a lot. I’m too flat now to know what I really meant.
Maybe what I meant is, when a person acquires knowledge, he can get less capable of candid reactions, which is where one get the real kicks. An example. One can be fascinated by movies, they are like fables to us. But if one becomes a movie critic, one doesn’t feel that naive pleasure anymore (or maybe one feels a higher pleasure, so it’s not so simple). Secondly too much intellectual experience can make you contemptuous of the common feelings of the masses, hence cynical and blasé.
ReplyDeleteTruth I don't really know what the heck I meant.
You're making me laugh!
ReplyDeleteI don't even know what I mean half the time either.
"Secondly too much intellectual experience can make you contemptuous of the common feelings of the masses, hence cynical and blasé."
Truer words have never been spoken. On a separate but related story connected to what you wrote, sports personalities, broadcasters, journalists sometimes fall in that trap. I know on my local station, the attitude towards callers borders on contemptuous. This also leads to hosts being presumptuous.
It's hard to explain this but it's an instinct I have. I don't think their communications skills are very strong. They act as if sports is complicated. It isn't.
I'm happy Oprah isn't known in Italy. Better that way. If she were to ever become popular all knowledge would begin and end (or at least be funneled) with her. And that's not good.
You make me think of your blog subtitle, "A place that proves we know nothing." which I love and find funny.
ReplyDeleteDon’t get mistaken. Oprah is not known by me, a mummy of the 5th century BC. Maybe though she really isn’t, apart a minority of us. Italians ‘ English is so mediocre. Your words make me want to know her. Don’t worry. I don’t get intellectually subjugated easily (we say ‘plagiati’ in Italian, but plagiarized in English means something else).
They act as if sports is complicated. It isn't.
Intellectual snobbery, plus they have to justify all the money they get from that job. Same happens here.
Oh yeah, I know how nuts the soccer journalists are.
ReplyDeleteItalian soccer is razor cut mad.
Forget Oprah. I'm a relic too. And I'm in my 30s. I just don't relate to contemporary "short-term oriented, fix-me-now" programming.