Hi y'all - if one has to wait for a Federally designated religious holiday to make a gift, then one has my sympathy!
On Dec 24, 3:11 pm, Morpheal <[email protected]> wrote: > FESTIVE GIFT GIVING : > > We live in a time when there is an increasing need to reaffirm the > value of the individual, and we can do that most readily at Christmas > by giving unique, personalized, gifts. While special foods and drinks > have a significant role in that affirmation of value, something of > what we give should be of lasting cultural worth. The work of artists, > artisans, craftspersons, and items of lasting quality, and excellence > in design, are particularly well suited to a Renaissance of valued > individuality. > > That revitalization of a positive materialism need not be excessively > lavish, or costly, and can be accessible to all. Reaffirmation of the > individual, by means of things of lasting worth, is also a > reaffirmation of care for society, the world around us, and the > environment. Without that value those things too become as devalued as > we have seen in recent decades. A society of discarding people, > things, culture, and environment, largely on the basis of pure > utility, as to what use something is in the immediate, without long > term considerations for other values, needs to become a society of > valuing individuality, uniqueness, and potential. > > I do not think that it really matters which cultural reason someone > affirms as to the giving of gifts and celebrating with others. Whether > it is Solstice, Yule, Christmas, Calendar Year End, or any number of > other festive occasions that chance at the same time, the whole world > can join in. Whether the individual celebrant celebrates the birthday > of a culture hero, a theologically valued event, or a purely secular > holiday does not need to be a source of controversy and conflict. > Individuals have different reasons, and celebrate different ideas at > the same time as they happen to celebrate one another’s individuality > and their social connections as individuals with one another in a > society. That society is increasingly the world community and not > simply our neighborhood, home town, state, or nation. We can put aside > religious, ideological differences, and affirm other, human, > universalized values of importance to all, while allowing beliefs > their place in one another’s lives. The two reasons for celebration, > and for the practices of celebration, do not need to be sources of > dispute. There is common ground, that all can stand upon, in peace and > affirmation, even if beliefs otherwise differ. > > Poor Santa Claus, Saint Nicolas, Old Nik, Pere de Noel, among many > other names in many languages, might have a larger load and a bigger > task, but there is no need to make a villain of the jolly old gent, > who himself has no desire to take sides in religious and cultural > disputes. He would deliver the gift to anyone, anywhere, in any part > of the world, to affirm the worth of the person, as individual. He is > not himself prejudiced. He could come to pagan, Hindu, Christian, > Buddhist, Jew, Muslim, atheist, capitalist, communist, and bring them > each something. The myth of the old gent making his lists of who has > been naughty or nice, has a place in it for every person, regardless > of faith, creed, ethnicity, ideological bent, having done something > worthwhile, something good, something of value, as an individual > living in the world community of humanity as a whole. In that sense he > is the affirmation of good in humanity and community, beyond the > divisiveness, conflicts, battles, and disputes, that tend to occur. He > is about the efforts to resolve, mediate, and alleviate those > tensions, and he is about affirmation of human individuality within > the context of all of humanity as having something in common with one > another, and not simply divided into conflicted, potentially warring, > factions. He is about peace. > > When we give a gift, during the festive season, regardless of what > belief system someone chances to belong to, that gift is the > affirmation of the desire and hope for peace. > > HER MAJESTY’S SPEECH (UK AND COMMONWEALTH): > > BBC Reports: “Buckingham Palace has issued advanced excerpts of the > Queen's Speech. What do you want to hear in the annual Christmas > message? The Queen's Christmas Day speech will voice her concern over > the economic downturn and the turmoil it may bring. A month after the > attacks in Mumbai and with British troops engaged overseas, the speech > will also lament "violence in distant lands". She will say: "Christmas > is a time for celebration but this year it is a more sombre occasion > for many. “ > > Inspirations for some further thoughts on those subjects. Not > unrelated to what has already been said: > > We might hope that leaders will be reminded of their special > responsibilities as to genuine care for those subject to them, and > further reaffirm worth of the individual person, furthering talents > and accomplishments. In a world where more and more is taken for > granted, and unique and individual contributions tend to be > increasingly ignored, disregarded, even attacked for their difference, > the only remedy that can be achieved is from renewed leadership by > those who have special privilege to lead. > > That remedy in a world where that very fact has been so eroded and > under siege in recent decades. In many regards the structure and > function of a society needs to provide for that recognition, and now > more than ever we need that antithesis to mass culture, and its > throwaway mentality which is tending to throw away people as readily > as it has learned to throw away things. People discarded as readily as > the previous season’s fashion trends in whatever mass made goods > chance to be most promoted, is becoming a larger and larger problem. > Leadership has typically encouraged rather than opposed that trend to > an ever increasing mass ignorance. > > We see that same trend evidenced in the failure of world leadership in > the current economic crisis. Perhaps we also see the same failure in > media reporting of that leadership. Not one world leader is noted as > adequately and effectively warning of the economic disaster that has > already affected so very many lives and that has now overturned much > of the existing faith in existing economic practices and systems. The > failure to warn and prepare the people, has brought about a very > increased crisis of faith. Trust and faith in leadership has been > greatly reduced. That in itself is some of the negative fallout of the > current crisis. Only effective care for those living under that > leadership, will restore any amount of faith in leadership. That is a > very serious political issue, and failure to restore that faith > adequately will undermine the very foundations of societies, and > nations, world wide. The damage could become completely irreparable. > The world has suffered, not simply a crisis in economics, challenging > economic theory and practice, and demanding a more scientific, > regulated, and thorough approach to the subject, but it has suffered a > near to total crisis in leadership. Leadership has failed. It has > failed to discern. It has failed to warn. It has failed to prepare > those beneath it, and having to endure it. Leadership has lost > respect. > > We see the same trend in terms of a growing tendency to what are truly > purely emotional outbursts of destructive violence, arising in parts > of the world, and threatening to intrude into lives far distant from > the epicenters where those shock waves originate. > > No one is left wholly unscathed by that trend to violence which > violates the most fundamental principles of basic human worth: the > worth of a human life, of human lives, as such. Those lives > increasingly randomly attacked, damaged and destroyed. That most > fundamental value, and basis of all else of value in the world, has > become increasingly challenged and disregarded. The most fundamental > value of humanity is being irrationally and unreasoningly attacked. > Violent acts bringing deaths, injuries and destruction, are only one > expression of the increasing violence within our societies, our > cultures, our nations and their community with each other. The way > that the economic disaster has unfolded and revealed itself is another > form of violence that shows similar blatant disregard for value and > worth. We see similar trends in the disparaging and demeaning of > individual talents, efforts, and worth, in most other areas of > society. We are in a crisis that is centered around that one most > fundamental problem. It threatens not only the quality and potential > accomplishments of individuals, but also the well being and lives of > people, and it threatens the world with increased potential for > increase of such evils as fascism and various forms of extremism and > totalitarianism. Those latter very much in reaction to exactly what is > increasingly wrong with society, economic practices, and most > fundamentally with negative changes in the most fundamental values, > under an increasingly failing and failed leadership.. > > LUMP OF COAL FOR GEORGE W. BUSH: > > If one man deserved something for Christmas, for his unique leadership > and exemplary role in the current economic disaster, for his > foresight, his care for all those who followed his lead, and for the > people he has direct and indirect responsibility for, as leader of > what was the world’s economic leading nation. For how well he too care > of everyone, in terms of warning them of difficulties, preparing them > for what was to come, and putting them in a somewhat better situation > to weather through the economic crisis as it impacts their lives..... > well..... there is not one person in the world who would be wrong in > sending Mr. George W. Bush a little lump of coal, for his Christmas. A > traditional symbol for such a traditional man, and well earned. Way to > go George. You win something that you really deserve. > > Robert Morpheal > > This article may be copied, reproduced, distributed, in any form, by > any means, anywhere and in fact anyone is encouraged to do so. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
