A New Old Fashioned Christmas
Don Hynes
The practice of Christmas is simple. It has to be, given the competition it receives at Buy More, Shop Now and War for Less. I believe a minority of the human race remains hypnotized by the twin evils of gross consumption and violent militarism. However, the larger majority accept the status quo passively because of the steady message of impotence the mass media blares out in the wake of governmental and social retardation.
The antidote is contained in two pragmatic words, words which were the highlight of the life even the distorted Biblical history of Jesus emphasize repeatedly: NO! and YES! Yes to Life, to the stillness of the morning, the spreading light of dawn, to the sounds of awakening and the earnest work of good will, to the compassion of Humankind that labors then rests each evening under the beckoning brilliance of the stars. And NO, no to ignorance, to the blasphemy of God’s name in every mendacious and pernicious evil from war, to poverty, to the poisoning of the Earth and the sickening of our children; NO as an absolute and unending denial of all that is wrong and unjust.
This is the time of unity, when these magical words YES and No, the open-says-ME of essential spiritual practice and the true meaning of Christmas, must be spoken loud and clear. We need to participate in the creation of a vision for today and tomorrow while we clearly condemn and deny all that ruins and destroys. We can embody the highest of our Vision and Truth while we address and remove the horrors of our deepest outrage.
Old Scrooge would not have found the benefit of his first genuine Christmas morning without the unflinching witness to every mean and despicable act of his past. His repentance allowed for forgiveness, and his forgiveness received allowed for redemption and new Life, a life of blessing and kindness and CLEAR VISION; a whole-in-us that is worthy of the gift of Life we’ve been given.
Merry Christmas!