I’ll try to keep my philosophical ramblings short. It’s into the afternoon on Christmas Day where I live. Our readers across the pond in Europe have most of their day behind them. In the U.S. even in the western time zones gifts have been exchanged and things (only sort of in homes with young kids) have settled down. However this holiday is about much more than giving and receiving presents, even when given in the intended spirit of expressing love and appreciation.
Even if not a person of faith, last night, Christmas Eve was a reminder of how the birth of a child, however humble could lead to something great. Even if some would misappropriate that meaning. Alas, that’s part of human nature. Some see the best in things and try to get others to do so, yet some see a chance to misuse something good. The human species hasn’t evolved quickly enough. Yet for all the turmoil and difficulty, for all the people who in the “Frank Cross” rant at the end of Scrooged points out “are having trouble making their miracle happen” he goes on to note how we can help. Even with simple acts.
Too often it takes more than simple acts and we can get discouraged. Yet all over the world, regardless of faith expressions of the most important thing Christmas reminds us of is love. For other people starting with those we know. For our communities, our country and the world. It starts with each of us. Christmas shouldn’t be the only day where she share love with family, friends and others but sadly we don’t as often as we should. And Christmas reminds us. All of us old farts remember The Carpenters and the the beautiful voice Karen had. There song Sometimes didn’t ‘chart’ but even for those who don’t know it’s a Christmas song. Richard and Karen explain how a poem a girl wrote as a gift turned into something profound:
Next I’d like to turn to the fact we live on a tiny, insignificant planet towards the outer part of a small and insignificant galaxy despite our delusions of grandeur about being the center of the universe. Intelligent life had surely existed elsewhere, does so now and will in the future. We on earth aren’t unique in the way so many believe. However when seen from space out planet is truly beautiful, more so that the bulk of other planets seen from high orbit or hundreds of thousands of miles away. We live on a beautiful blue and white ball that’s packed with wonders of nature. Including human beings.
A large portion of people on this planet believe in God or a Supreme Being or Deity. I won’t debate that belief. Even people of different religions debate whether their vision is the correct one. Tragically to the point of killing over it. It’s striking however that while this holiday is about the birth of Jesus who inspired Christianity the other two of the “Big Three” monotheistic religions see him as a great teacher/figure. Jewish people don’t consider him to be the Messiah but still believe he was a great prophet. Islam? Even Mohammed viewed the Jesus by then know via the bible to be a great moral leader.
Our planet is indeed beautiful to behold from space. In the midst of all the hatred, turmoil and war and given how many people engaged in such things claim to be people of faith it seems like today is a good time to point out how beautiful our blue and white ball its, and that someone is watching – ‘From A Distance’:
Try as I might I can’t resist pointing out to some of our conservative readers who likely likely most conservatives making about about how “Christian” they are perhaps they should re-read the gospels in the New Testament. You know, the one Jesus was sent to inspire and replace all that old vengeful, ‘wrath of god’ stuff in the Old Testament. In particular what he said in the Sermon on the Mount. Then think about “God is watching us.” From a distance.
As someone who once was a Marine infantryman I know sometimes war is the last of a crappy set of options. However when one bully leading a country covets another country they sometimes try to take it by force. Years after Putin tried and failed to take Ukrainian’s freedom away, to take (again – Russia has a long, ugly history on this) Ukraine they are still holding on. They didn’t, and still don’t want to be in a war with Russia. At one time they were a leading topic around the world including here. Now, Europe who knows the cost of abandoning Ukraine still focuses on them, but here we have a President who is MAD at Ukrainian’s refusal to bow down to Putin. As angry as he is at Americans who refuse to bow down to him!
So, it’s another long, cold and brutal winter of war in Ukraine. I’d be there, instead of here at my computer (or perhaps buried along with Ukrainians who fought and died already) but when i tried to volunteer despite my particular weapons specialty my old, disabled (balance problems when walking due to neuropathy but I could still fire anti-tank missiles the group recruiting Americans said no thanks. But in my heart I stand with them. If they can prevail they can help the European Union take over the role Trump has forced the U.S. to abandon – spreading democracy, human rights and peace around the world.
Somewhere I’m sure I learned who wrote the next song but it wasn’t until the war I parked it deep in my memory. It’s my fervent hope that this time next year Ukraine (and Europe) will be enjoying a few days break from rebuilding that shattered country after a just and lasting peace is achieved and Putin/Russia is defanged. To hear the “sweet silver bells”:
Bells. That makes me think of hand bells and how lovely and peaceful they sound. Especially playing Christmas songs. So, if you’ve read this far and as the rest of your day proceeds just want to relax with some beautiful sounds of Christmas I leave you with a Hand Bell concert playing tunes you’ll recognize:
My wish is that all find hope and renewal on this Christmas. Hope. The Christmas Spirit. In addition to being a musician and performer I was also an athlete. A “Jock.” If you’re my age I’ll guarantee you saw a poster of a saying, or seen it stencilled on a locker room wall. It was about “Hustle.” I’ll alter it a bit by replacing the word ‘Hustle’. There could be more than one replacement word(s) in fact. But what struck me first was “Hope: Will You Catch It Or Spread It?” There are more of us who want to spread hope. To spread good. Make life a little better for others. Don’t give up hope. It’s out there and you can see examples of people and groups doing good things every single day.
You might be discouraged thinking it won’t do any good. How can one small act here or there make a difference? It starts with LOVE. And hope and sharing it. Spreading it. Never forget the real Bobby Kennedy and an epic quote inscribed in granite across a small memorial extending from below his gravesite:
Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
The Earth is truly beautiful to behold from a distance. With enough love, and turning that love into helping others see that as Andy writes in The Shawshank Redemption “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things” the next Christmas will see us and the world closer to what we wish it could be.
Denis, this article and the imbedded videos was quite literally the BEST thing that happened to me this Christmas Day! My adult grandkids, small great-grandkids and I had panned to go see my daughter who has brain tumors which metastasized from lymphoma. She cannot return home and is in a transitional facility in Minneapolis. We are awaiting word from her oncologist regarding new scans she had yesterday. Both my grandkids were not feeling well, so rather than expose their mother to whatever bugs they had, my grandson and my granddaughter and her two little ones all stayed home. I took my half of the meal and went alone to see my daughter. She was not feeling well either, so she slept all day while I dined alone in the small lounge across from her room. I came home to an empty apartment and spent the rest of the day alone.
When I saw the first video in your article, I immediately remembered the recording by the Carpenters. I even used those lyrics in a Christmas letter to friends and family one year. I did not know the origin of the song was from a poem written by Henri Mancini’s daughter. I read all of your article and watched all four videos. What a delightful end to my rather strange day! Thank you for bringing me back to feeling the true Christmas spirit! My daughter is gravely ill and I confess, it’s easy to feel like the world is a hopeless place. But God IS watching us every minute of every day, and even in the face of a terminal illness in a family member, I know that God is saying,”I’ve got this!” He will not leave us nor forsake us, and He is certainly sad at the state of the world right now, starting with the United States!
Thank you, Denis, for a moving article. And I hope you had a Merry Christmas!
When I saw the Carpenters song “Somtinez in your article,
It does my own heart good to learn that while not many were online, or on PZ yesterday someone drew something positive from my post. For the past 50 years more often than not I’ve been on my own during the holidays. I learned how to make a nice Thanksgiving and Christmas just for myself. This year my Christmas routine got messed up in that the finale starting with Christmas Eve dinner was ruined because the delivery driver didn’t deliver my order from the grocery store on the 23rd. All the items I’d ordered had been available but by 9:30pm when FL admitted there’s be no delivery (after so many hours of saying it was coming) I assumed they’d set it in a cooler and deliver it first thing in the morning. Nope. I had to RE-order and some hugely important items were no longer available. I didn’t have much on hand as the sun set an nothing sounded good so I figured I’d indulge in some take out. Ordered online and THAT delivery time kept getting pushed back and a little after nine freaking p.m. I got a text saying the driver couldn’t pick up my order (placed over two hours prior) couldn’t be made because the place had closed already! Microwaved a can of chili. Oh well.
I did many of the things I always do but a typical Christmas Even dinner with lots of leftovers to allow good eating on Christmas Day (and even today) was blown. Yet for all that I felt the pull of what the holiday is supposed to be about, and tried to share it. Today it’s back to “regular programming time” but I’d ask everyone to remember the rant at the end of Scrooged where he talks about that feeling of the Christmas Even spirit and wanting it the next day and the next, and getting “greedy for it.” That’s my hope. That people get THAT kind of greed. Life will always have it’s difficulties, and even tragic times. As Max Erhman notes at the end of Desiderata whether or not it is clear to us the Universe is unfolding as it should. And his closing I think relates to the posts I made about my mom’s death 50 years ago, the current difficulties I and others have been writing about and the travails of having a less than “warm and fuzzy” holiday season: “With all it’s sham, drudgery and broken dreams it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.” To that I have tried to add my own extra thought – strive to help others be happy to.