Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Item #35: A Celebration of Christmas

Organized religion, most notably Christianity, in Canada continues to suffer declines in adherence and attendance. We are increasingly becoming a people who identify themselves as spiritual but not religious. In 2009, 28% of Canadians cited ‘no religious affiliation’. And estimates say somewhere around only 11% who are of Christian affiliation attend church once a week.

At this time of year however, Canada celebrates Christmas. It is a monumentally important religious event, the birth of Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity. But in Canada, while we are not a religious people, we celebrate Christmas in as committed a way as ever before.

Let’s be honest. Undeniably, the Christmas we celebrate is not about the star of Bethlehem, the three wise men or the birth of Christ our saviour.

The Christmas we celebrate in Canada is characterized by: the giving of gifts, socializing with food and alcohol and downtime at home with family and loved ones.

Imagine that. In this day and age, we run from store to store, fill our arms with boxes and bows, and watch our bank accounts run low, in the name of Christmas. Oh… the crass commercial consumerism.

In this day and age, we host friends, neighbours and colleagues, fill their hands with glasses of wine or egg nog, feed them full of canapés, and talk, or maybe dance, in the name of Christmas. Oh… the gluttony, the mindlessness.

In this day and age, we put on the fire, stay in our pajamas, curl up under the blankets, cuddle up to one another, and watch movies, read the newspaper or sleep, maybe even for an entire day, in the name of Christmas. Oh… the sloth, the laziness.

This is the Christmas so many of us celebrate nowadays. This is the Christmas that has been systemically preserved and sanctioned. But why? Why is this so? With the decline of organized religion, what is the reason Christmas even is?

Because we need it. We really need it. We need it more than ever.

Because we are generous beings. We like to show our love. We like to make people smile. And we like to give gifts, in whatever form. We like the protection of having a sanctioned time to give. That’s Christmas.

Because we are social beings. We like to let loose. We like to eat. We like to talk to our friends. They make us laugh. Or understand us best. We like the protection of having a sanctioned time to be social. That’s Christmas.

Because we are loving beings. We need to be able to relax into the comforts of our homes. We need to be able to curl up close to each other. We need to rest, together. We like the protection of having a sanctioned time to be loving. That’s Christmas.

We need Christmas. We really need it. We need it more than ever.

So go ahead everybody. Celebrate Christmas. Happy Holidays.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Item #34: Good Learning from a Bad Movie









I watched Eat Pray Love a few weeks ago. It was not a very good movie, though I quite enjoyed the book, but regardless, I can call out three good messages in the movie for further consideration. One is just a good piece of insight and two others are actually little life exercises you might want to try out for yourself.

#1: The Texan Richard talks to Julia Roberts, who has just arrived in India in search of what she refers to as “just a little peace”. His response: “To get to the castle, you have to swim the moat”. He is explaining a basic truth in life in my opinion. In my experience, if you want real accomplishment of any kind: personal maturity, career achievement, inner peace, emotional growth, you’ve got to first expend the energy and battle the monsters along the path. My guess is that the greatest riches await the ones who swim the most treacherous moats.

#2: In a conversation with her New York friend, who had recently had a baby, they discuss what is inside ‘the box under the bed’. For the friend with the new baby, the box under her bed held little items she had collected and saved as she was dreaming of the baby: pieces of patterned fabric, little pieces of baby’s clothing, small toys. Julia Roberts responds that ‘the box under her bed’ contains travel-related images: photos, region guides, maps of faraway places to visit. This ‘box under the bed’ thing may just be an interesting tool to uncover personal insight. What would be contained in ‘the box under your bed’ should you have one? And what does that illuminate about the things that matter to you most?

#3: Finally, while in Rome, some new friends ask Julia Roberts what “her one word would be”. She thinks about “daughter”, “wife”, “girlfriend”, and concludes that none of them fit for her. She proposes “writer” as her word, because in the movie that is her vocation. One of the new Roman friends tells her that is “what she does, not who she is” and therefore not the best choice as ‘her one word’. Prompts me to think this might be another thoughtful thing to consider. What would be your ‘one word’? The one word that is not what you do, but who you are?

Anyway, hope you might have a little fun with these thoughts. And at the very least we know that even a bad movie might yield some good!