Christmas Thoughts...

It's that time of year again.  Usually, I like to write a silly thought or observation about the holiday season.  This year, however, I just can't find it in my heart to do so.  I read the headlines and see the arguments on Facebook and it is just too difficult to make light of any of it.  So I won't.

I found myself caught up in the "Duck Dynasty" scandal and getting all in a tither over it.  I mean it has everything...freedom of speech, freedom of religion, gay rights...  It is an absolute gold mine for debate. It has made me think and I have learned so much from it, but, I'm not going to write about that.

I read the headlines and they are covered with child abuse, rape, violence, murder, drugs.  I read them and wonder to myself if the entire moral fiber of mankind has completely disappeared.  It all haunts and disturbs me.  I'm not going to write about that either.

Christmas is four days away.  We are stressed, we are angry, we are fed up.  In June 1994, I lost a very dear friend of mine suddenly.  His death left me heartbroken.  I remember that following Christmas being in the mall doing my Christmas shopping when a carol came over the speaker that touched me deeply.  I had to leave the store to find a quiet place to weep.  The song reminded me of how I longed for a simpler time.  A time when my worries and fears and sadness were not in the forefront of my mind.  That song is what I want to share with you...

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light.
From now on,
Our troubles will be out of sight.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the yule-tide gay.
From now on,
Our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together,
If the fates allow.
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself, a merry little Christmas now.

I wish you Peace, I wish you Love, and of course, I wish you a merry little Christmas.

Why So Mad Bro?

Have you ever noticed how people tend to get infuriated over the silliest things?  It seems like the slightest occurrence can throw us into a tantrum that would make even the brattiest 2 year old look like an angel.  But then on the flip side, the things that should make us livid; we take with a grain of salt.  How did we get so confused?  People all around us are going hungry, living in poverty, addicted to drugs and we seem to just blow it off.  We say, "Isn't that sad..." or "How pathetic..." and go about our day as if nothing happened.  We read about a game where teenagers will run up to you on the street and hit you as hard as they can, knocking you unconscious and we just read on and say, "What is this world coming too?"  But if you get a game request on your social network...oh my.  "I WILL END OUR FRIENDSHIP IF YOU SEND ME ONE MORE GAME REQUEST!  I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL!!!"  Really?  Is it that much of an inconvenience to you?  I get them all of the time and guess what I do...ignore them.  It's really easy.  Just glance and move on.  Just like that.  I wouldn't lie to you.  Then there is the Merry Christmas debate.  Is this actually a problem?  I mean, isn't the holiday actually called Christmas?  Just because you are an atheist, do you not still celebrate in a secular way the holiday of Christmas?  But we are worrying ourselves silly about how to wish someone a happy holiday by the use of the actual name of the holiday??  We say "Happy Halloween," "Happy Thanksgiving,"  "Happy Easter," but when we get to Christmas we go, "Uhhhhhhh..."  Personally, I think this is a problem that is fed by the media.  I have always said Merry Christmas and everyone I have said it to has always said, "Merry Christmas to you."  Is it because they are Christian?  Not necessarily.  Is it because they are making a political statement?  No.  It is because that is the name of the holiday.  Christmas is not called Holiday, it's Christmas.  The whole argument is just silly and everyone seems very up in arms about it.  Yet I wonder, how many people have actually said, "I find that offensive. Do not say that to me."  I doubt many.  My response to that reaction?  "Oh.  Then I un-Merry your Christmas and Happy New Year."  Or should that be Happy Year Change?  Hmmmmmm...

There are things in this world worthy of getting angry over.  Sometimes I think if we put the same passion into the real injustices of the world that we put into the things that do not matter, maybe just maybe, the world would be a better place.  What if instead we took a stand against (in no order of importance) prejudice, sexual abuse, drug trafficking, poor education system, degradation of women, human trafficking, child abuse, elderly abuse, hunger, goodness sakes I could go on and on.  If we stood up for these things with the zeal of rejecting game requests...wouldn't this world be a better place in which to live?  Oh yeah I think so...