And now it's passed

Well, the big day has come and gone ... again. Oh, I know, most of my American friends already have the tree untrimmed, down, set out by the trash and the decorations all put away for next year. At some point, those shedding needles have to be shown where they belong. For me, the season is far from over. In fact, it has just started. (For those of you who may have missed it, go here and then read the following four or five posts for the whole story.)

I'll admit it: I love this time of year, I love this holiday season, and I love everything it's supposed to stand for. And, I'm sad about what's been made of it, I'm unhappy about what most people do about it, and I find it depressing how little most people know about it all to begin with.

Today is a holiday all over Europe, in fact. I'm thinking only the Americans don't have time for a second Christmas day. Of course, it's not about the days one might get off work. Americans dismantled that "tradition" a long, long time ago. No, for me, it's about being able -- regardless of how briefly -- to stop and reflect on how good most of us have it, how more-than-I-probably-deserve good I have it, and how we managed to develop a social and, above all, economic system that ensures, that guarantees, that actually judges its success by how badly others are doing.

We've made a lot of technological progress and are in a position to produce more than enough food to feed the world -- even with its overbloated population -- three times over, but nevertheless we allow 50,000 people a day to starve to death. That's something to be proud of, isn't it? It's not about lazy takers in some heathen corner of the world. Some of those starving live within 50 miles of your own home. But we all know that because there's enough for everybody, there's no reason why those without couldn't have more, if they'd only get off their lazy bottoms and work harder, work longer, or simply work at all. Yeah, if the amount and intensity of work were the key, Somalian mothers would be the richest people on the planet. As it turns out, those who actually do the least have the most to show for it. How perverse is that?

Well, I know that I'm one of the few who is willing to call it what it is: perverse. We don't need to get into a religious or theological debate, the system we've thought up and imposed upon the world is, in a word, inhumane. End of story. We don't need crazed Islamist extremists to strike terror into our hearts, an honest look in the mirror and a moment's honest reflection would do just as much. Pogo was right; he hit the nail on the head: We have met the enemy, and he is us. It really is that simple.

But, I don't want to disturb any of you while you're getting back into the swing of things and seeing to it that you get more of what you don't need or want at the expense of the rest of the world. Let's face it: Christmas is about us and how good we've got it, and now that we've got it out of the way for another year, we can get back to doing what we do best: ignoring those in need and praising ourselves for how great we are.

An un-Christmasy message, I know. But sometimes, you just have to get it off your chest. I've now got it off mine, and I'm going to stop and reflect and think about what I can do to help others to get more of what they deserve, whether they meet your standards of effort or not.

The big day's almost here

It certainly won't be long now. The long awaited climax that began on the marketing side over five months ago has almost arrived. It's hard to believe how quickly the time has passed, and what is even more remarkable is how little this year's Christmas is going to be different than last year's or most Christmases before that. Apart from individual catastrophes and unexpected blessings, we're every bit as divisive, argumentative, confrontational, unyielding, insistent, aggressive, and, yes, violent as we ever were. This is true nationally, politically, communally, and individually. If all of us were better people than we were before, the world would be in better shape, but it isn't.

In spite of all the marketing hype, Christmas is about reflecting, being thankful, caring, and sharing. It is season in which Love, Peace, and Hope should abound, but I'm seeing -- and feeling -- very little of that this year. Oh, we've got our houses decorated, we're going to make another big family meal, we're going to eat too much, drink too much, and, before it's all over, complain too much and get upset too much.

I, for one, am not willing to trade the holiday in or much less give it up just because so many folks just "don't get it". I can't repeat it often enough: it is time to recognize just how much all of us (not just us in the West, I mean ALL of us) have in common: you've got family members who are more challenging that you think you can handle, well so do they and so do I; you have self-serving, out-of-touch political "leaders", well so do we; you're being made to work more and more but less and less to show for it, well, the same's true here; you are sick of the lack of commonsense and decency around you, well so am I; you wish there were more peace and less war on the planet, well so do I; you wish other people could be more like you, for then there would be fewer problems in the world, well, no, it doesn't work like that.

Christmas is the biggest Christian holiday we have (though why it's not Easter still makes me wonder, a lot). Yes, over the years it has been secularized and commercialized beyond recognition. There is not, nor has there ever been, a War on Christmas. In fact, the very notion of a "war" in relation to this particular holiday is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard, and insisting that others celebrate like you do is, well, simply narrow-minded and unreasonable.

In the West, this holiday has been the high point of the year for the last two millennia. This holiday is Christian because almost 2 billion people the world over believe that Christ, their redeemer and, as they believe, the world's salvation, was born on this day. This individual (and whether he really existed or whether he was actually born this day is so irrelevant that it's not worth mentioning) spent his short life preaching, teaching, and healing. He cared for the outcast, the downtrodden, the abused, the sick, the needy, the infirm. His message, evidenced not only by words but by deeds, was as simple as you can get: love whomever you meet as much as you love yourself and show it by helping and caring. What is so difficult about that?

The message in itself makes sense, regardless of whether you believe he was the one G-d sent to save the world. Why you act this way is completely and utterly irrelevant, so it doesn't matter how others greet you for the season. If you're offended by someone saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas", you simply don't get any of it at all. It's not what we say that makes a difference in the world. Talk is cheap. What matters is what we do. The person's birthday that is the reason for the holiday rejected no one, was offended by no one, and was willing to help and heal anyone and everyone he met. It's this story -- whether true or not -- that is the reason we should be stopping to think and reflect just what kind of standards we have in our own lives, and that is why we should try so hard to make others' lives happier at least once a year.

Christmas is a good thing, regardless of why we celebrate. Too bad so many of us don't even get it just once a year.

No, not yet ... please

For all of you who haven't quite caught on yet: no, today is not the First Day of Christmas. For that, you have to wait another 12 days. You're going to have to be patient. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, go here and find out. If you're disappointed, well, sorry, somebody had to tell you sometime.

What's often fascinated me the most about this joyous season of the year is that there are many, many businesses that generate 75% or more of their revenues during these few weeks. What do they do the rest of the year? If they're in retail, do they just wait around for customers who never come, paying rent on space they're not really using, paying employees who aren't really doing anything? I'd be the last person to fire the people. I think these companies should continue to pay the employees, close down the store, and re-open when it's worth it. And are there still factories cranking out stuff year round even though they're only going to unload it at the very end of the year? How inefficient is that? What kind of bonuses do those CEOs get?

Are you starting to get the hint that maybe -- just maybe -- some of the stuff we do -- and place so much value on -- are simply, well, nonsensical?

We're strange creatures, we human beings. Recently, I (re-)read a quote from Charles Darwin: "It is not the strongest or most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change." Personally, I think he's right on this one. And then I see us buzzing around in our pre-Christmas frenzy, doing the same things as the year before, causing the same problems as the year before, buying the same junk as the year before, giving it to the same people as the year before, or, if I'm a business, finally greeting those same customers as the year before, or receiving the same orders as the year before, and counting my money as the year before, and I start wondering what it means if Chuck was right. If he is, we're doomed.

OK, I'll admit it: I think we're doomed anyway, and it's not Christmas all by itself that is going to be our undoing. No, it's deeper than that. Christmas is just one of the many examples of how human beings do the same thing over and over again but expect different results. That, according to Einstein -- no intellectual slacker -- is the definition of insanity.

As far as I'm concerned, Christmas is as good a reason as any to be jolly. Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la, but watching the scene play out, I have to admit that I do wonder a bit about our sanity. There's a big difference between feeling merry and simply being out there where the busses don't run.

Half-way there

We're about halfway through Advent. For the secular amongst you that means nothing. For most of the more religiously inclined whom I know, it doesn't mean much either. Unfortunately, my experience has been, for too many years of my life, that those who most often claim to be the most religious don't know many of the details of the religion they claim to believe in so strongly. If it weren't so sad, it would be ironic. But that's not why I'm here.

For most people, Advent; that is, those few weeks between Thanksgiving (in the US) and Christmas (most other places) is our time of getting ready for the big holiday. I know many, if not most, of my American friends and acquaintances have their trees up and lit, the houses are decorated inside and out, all those once-a-year songs are trilling out of the speakers, and there is still Christmas shopping to do.

We might as well face up to it: shopping is the "best" part of Christmas. Oh, I know everyone likes to complain about it, but what can be more exhilarating than spending money you don't have on things nobody really needs to function as gifts for people you may not like all that much and who really don't want them.

Far be it from me to rain on anyone's parade, but if you're really into gifts, have you ever asked yourself if you prefer giving or getting them. Most people I know at some time or another admit that they much prefer getting to giving, and I wonder how much that plays into what they get as gifts for others. I wonder how often we ask ourselves what someone else may get us, how much it might cost, whether we're obligated to respond in kind (or, worse, value), whether it will be seen as clever, cute, or whatever as we think it is. And how many of us don't hesitate after the exchanging takes place and the "guilty parties" are not around to let others know exactly what we think of their gift-giving abilities. Don't tell me it's only other people who do that. I simply don't believe you.

However, have you ever really thought what a gift is? A true gift is something you give to someone else who does not expect to get anything, especially from you, for no other reason than you want to make the other person happy and which -- and this is most important -- places zero responsibility on the receiver. No, this doesn't have to only happen at Christmas. In fact, the best gifts are those given for no apparent reason. That "something" of which I speak, may be a thing, a physical object, but maybe it's not. In fact, more often than not, the best gifts are not things at all. But, the most important characteristic of any true gift is that it is given without absolutely any expectations and no thoughts of obligation. If there are, it's not a gift. It's just a tool of manipulation.

So, think about it. We're only half-way there, so there is still plenty of time to exchange, or simply return some of that stuff you've got. Don't just think about what that "other" wants, think about what they actually need. It may be the best gift you ever gave.

It's that time of year, again

The Church Year has run its course; the calendar year is approaching its end. And although time has passed far too quickly (at least as far as I'm concerned), we're not a bit better off than we were the last time I found myself reflecting on "the season", what it means or could mean, and why it would be to all our benefit if more people would reflect with me. Maybe it's because I'm getting older (aren't we all?) but there are times when I wonder how often you have to say something before another actually hears what you're saying.

Oh sure, most readers/listeners are well intentioned. And while I appreciate that for what it's worth, you'd think that after so many years and so much effort, you'd see a bit of a change somewhere, but there's none as far as the eye can see in any direction.

As this is a season of rejoicing, you can all rejoice that you're not going to get any uplifting or (hopefully) thought-provoking, Christmasy, or spiritual, lectures. If you're interested, there are almost 40 posts in the December blogs of the past three years where you can get your dose of that if you need it. For those of you who have read them, or most of them, or even some of them, you'll know that I don't care so much what you believe as long as you believe in something; I really don't care about what you do as long as it's not harmful or destructive; and I could care less if you are offended by others who believe differently than you. Get over it and get over yourself.

We need to face up to the fact that we use the "joy of the season" to distract us from things that matter and things that could make a difference. We who can are going to eat too much, party too much, buy too many things we don't really need with money we don't really have to impress people we probably only marginally like in the hopes of getting a bunch of useless stuff ourselves. We're going to drive more, have the lights on more and more lights on, we're going to spend a lot of time and energy trying to one-up a lot of others, and as a result, we're going to increase are carbon footprints significantly, produce tons of waste and refuse that has no where to go, pollute the steams, rivers and oceans, and ensure that we're not a bit better off than we were before the whole diversionary delusion started. Yes, we can certainly be proud of ourselves.

Meanwhile, the poor are getting poorer - around the globe; the numbers of the poor are growing too as are those of the homeless and incarcerated. The hungry are going hungry; the sick are not getting healed. The strangers are being shown no hospitality, rather are being shown the door. Although crime in general is decreasing, violence is increasing, often institutionalized and authorized violence in fact. The threat of terror and epidemics is thrown in our face every day. We are bombarded by advertising every moment of our waking lives. No, if we were to be truthful with ourselves, we'd admit that things aren't getting better, they are slowly and steadily getting worse.

But, hey, we've got a whole lot of celebrating to do. We wouldn't want to get all sad and depressed just because others don't know how to have a good time, do we? No, I suppose we don't. It's that time of year, again.

December 25

Today's the day we've all been waiting for ... or at least that a lot of us have been waiting for, so in honor of the occasion and in light of the fact that I have had my own personal relationship to this holiday for quite some time, I'd like to share with you a moment of my youth. This is the first poem of which I have a record (that is, from 1968), and I would like to share it with all of you. The title is the same as today's entry:

"Good will to men!"
Choirs of angels sing,
Lifting their voices high.
Stories of gifts
The Wise Men did bring,
But I ask myself why?
Where has the love for other men
Gone in these passing days?
Why has the Christ one
Clear in Christmas
Faded to a haze?
Kettles clink with too few coins
Too many eat too well,
While all the while in some dark corner
Hungry faces tell
Of sadness, hunger, loss of hope –
Why should they rejoice?
'Cause no matter how loud they cry
No one hears their voice.
But, as all good Christians usually do
On this happy day
They turn their backs,
Sit down to eat and
Go on their merry way.

A dilemma, really?

Yes, I'm afraid we've got a full-fledged dilemma on our hands. We've got the "founder" of a religion saying one thing, and we've got all these followers saying something else. That doesn't bode well, now, does it?

What his followers are asserting is at odds with what he was saying himself. What is even more interesting is the fact that a couple of thousand of years later, his alleged followers are asserting exactly the opposite of what the founder was saying himself. Exaggerated? I don't think so.

We've got the texts that tell us what he said. We have also seen that the other folks, especially those who are what we would call "down-and-out" today - widows, orphans, the sick, the infirm, the beggars, the unemployed, those without any resources at all - are more important than oneself. Nevertheless, by some twist of thought, today's followers can assert, in tune with the mantra of modern economics, that it is "enlightened" self-interest that rules the world. If I'm doing well, maybe my "neighbor" is doing well. The man himself said, however, that if your neighbor is doing well, you are probably doing well yourself. We've turned it around. Hey, you don't have to believe me. You can read it for yourselves, if you're willing.

Once again, we've got it backwards. Modern economic theory is based on the assumption that we all act as individuals who have our own best interest at heart, that our self-interest - what's in it for ourselves - is our primary motivator. On the other hand, we have this poor hippy from 2,000 years ago telling us that whoever is in need is more important than yourself. If two positions aren't more at odds with themselves, I don't know which ones they are.

When seen in this light, though, our dilemma is easy to identify: Christ (if you will) said others first; modern economics says put yourself first. The dilemma is: how do those who call themselves Christians bring these two antithetical positions into harmony. I maintain that they can't. You've got a choice: you can actually be a follower of the one whom you claim is the son of Gd and your savior, or you can believe that modern economists have figured it out. You can't have it both ways.

As I see it, the choice is simple: you can call yourself Christian and be all about yourself, or you can actually be a Christian (in the sense of practicing what the Good Jesus actually preached). You can't be both.

It's time to decide.

You think so?

I'm sorry - I have to apologize in advance - but I can't let this opportunity slip by. We've got the story, the narrative, the evidence, if you will, and then we have the reality. How different they are!

We've got all these people running around ... and I can't help but keep repeating: about half the population of the world, about 3,000,000,000 people who claim to be followers of this Jew born in a non-descript part of the world 2,000 years ago, and yet, there are probably not more than a handful of these folks who actually take him, or what he had to say seriously.

I'm not picking on them, really, after all they're only human. But, I can't help but find a certain fascination in the thought that although they call themselves followers of this particular individual, when it comes right down to it, they want as little to do with him as possible.

Let's be real: who wants to put others first? How realistic is it to turn the other cheek, or love our enemies, or help those who just happen to be around? I mean, what would become of the world anyway? That's a good question. A very good question.

Let's face it: we exchanged our society - our lives, actually - for an economy, and we all know what that means: everybody acts in their own self-interest. Economists have even tried to ease the blow and call it "enlightened" self-interest, but in the end, our world, as we experience it today, is all about, it is only about us. Others have to fend for themselves. We live and move and have our being in the fact that we act in our own self-interest.

I hate to be the one to break it to you all, but it just doesn't work that way. The guy who is the alleged founder of the world's largest, most widespread religion said himself that others are more important than you. If you subscribe to the assertion that we act in our own self-interest - enlightened or not - than you are simply at odds with the boss' own idea of how things ought to be working. This isn't a simple misunderstanding, it's a full-fledged dilemma.

We'll need to take a closer look at this the next time, though. It's too big an issue to take care of here.

What's the issue ... really?

Some of you are asking yourself, I'm sure: "What's the big deal?" or "Just what is he going on about?" Those are good questions, really. And I have to tell you, it's a cultural thing.

I hail, originally, from a country in which they think there's a War on Christmas. This isn't really all that surprising when you consider just how warlike this country is. They can't really do anything very well anymore, but they still wage war. That Christmas would eventually become a target of this aggression should be no surprise to anyone.

Once we all get off our high horses and realize that historically this has been a time of year for celebration, and for whatever reason another religion has a big holiday around the same time, then there really shouldn't be such a fuss when one uses the more inclusive "Happy Holidays" as a greeting, instead of "Merry Christmas". There are, however, more than a few people in my home country who find this offensive. It's important for them that they be Number 1 (whether they mean themselves, their own groups, their country or their religion ... being Number 1 is very, very important to them). They believe that they have every reason to be first, and everyone else should come after. I can understand that ... to a point.

It turns out that the individual whom they hold in such esteem - allegedly - that they can't bear being number-anything-but-1 turns out to be an individual who proclaimed that at best, you're Number 2, if you buy into the system he's propagating, you're Number 3. Bummer, isn't it? Yes, a real downer. How do you deal with that?

For those of you who have been following, I decided to take him at his word: the individual about whom we're all excited at this time of year laid out very clearly the order of things: Gd-Others-Self. Believe me, I'm anything but a fan of hierarchy, and that's what the "list" sounds like, but when considered a bit of closer, it's simply a matter of priorities, that's all. I even went to some effort to point out that you don't have to take him to be what others claim he is to see there's a lot to be said for putting others (regardless of whether you include Gd or not) first. And it's this simple fact that is the source of a whole pile of problems.

It's no wonder - at least not to me - that there is all kinds of distractions at this time of year: gifts, shopping, circuses, events, singing, spending money, outdoing the neighbors with decorations, you name it. It is absolutely essential that we divert our attention from what this whole thing is supposed to be about, namely rethinking how it is that we approach life.

Yes, that's what it boils down to: asking ourselves if we're really acting the way we should. The simple truth is "no".

That's what it's all about?

Alright, even those of you who are so aware of what is going down at this time of year, let me see if I can't condense it all in a nutshell:

Christmas is the holiday we celebrate to honor the birth of a person we call Jesus. For many people, he is the founder of the Christian religion, at least insofar as his "followers" tend to claim that they revere him as the son of Gd and the savior of everyone. That's a big deal to a lot of people. About half of all the people on the planet at the moment claim, in one way or another, to be an adherent to this religion, which is called Christianity.

The word "Christmas" is a term that derives from "Christ" (a borrowed translation from the Hebrew, Meshiach, meaning "the anointed one") and "mass", what the Catholics call their worship service. Christmas is the day on which a particular mass was celebrated to honor the birth of the one they consider to be the Messiah, the Redeemer of the World, or thereabouts. This birth took place, according to our time reckoning, about 2012 years ago. Yes, we've been at this for a very long time.

Over the past few posts - especially for those of you who may just be joining us - I've been taking a closer look at this individual. This part of the Christmas season is called "Advent" (the coming) and we have been considering just who or what is on the way. That's what all of the current hub-bub is about ... everything else, including Santa Claus, St. Nick, St. Nicklaus, or whomever else we've happened to associate with this event, is beside the point. We're left with the fact that this Jesus guy had such an impact on so many people, that he got his own holiday (actually, here in the West, he got two, but we'll get to the other one - Easter - in the spring. Until then, you'll just have to be patient).

Even though a lot of folks don't believe Jesus is who those other folks claim he is, we still have the celebration, and I believe it's worth the effort to at least take a look at the guy and see what he's got going for himself. It turns out, he was a somewhat radical troublemaker who thought we should be looking out for other people instead of just looking out for ourselves. Yes, yes, yes ... he said and did a lot of other things, but when you take a closer look at it all, it's the taking-care-of-others thing that causes us the most problems.

As a result, there are a lot of people (as I said, about half the world's population) who claim to be followers of this guy, but the fewest of them actually use him as an example of anything ... so I've been wondering why ... out loud.

Really? It's that bad, eh?

While surfing through the hundreds of channels available to me in languages I both do and don't understand, I stumbled across one of those let's-see-how-dumb-most-people-are segments about Christmas. I know, I know, we only talk about "holidays" anymore, but for all you politically-correct folks: pound sand.

C'mon. I know that Hanukkah is always celebrated around this time, and I'm a big fan (they do daily presents and have special things to eat everyday ... now, who's against that?). Unfortunately, our Moslem brethren don't have anything to celebrate themselves, and our Buddhist and Shinto friends have to wait till February to get their New Year going. Christmas is, I'm afraid, the biggest game in town, and I'm all for everyone joining in and celebrating for whatever reason they can find, but I also believe that it's not a bad idea to know why there was a reason for all this chaos in the first place.

I am fully aware of the fact that historically, the reason for celebrating may be a bit divorced from what we've got today, but if it comes down to partying and having a good time and adhering to history, well, the party wins out every time. We don't get bothered by movies that are loose adaptations of actual events, so let's not get all bent out of shape because of a few historical details. If I didn't know when I was born and decided 1 April seems like a good day, and then I invite you all to a party ... what? you're not going to come because it's probably not really my birthday. Get real. There's free food and drink and you're going to stay home on principle ... right.

So, once more, for those of you for whom all of this has been moving along too fast: Christmas ... which is the holiday that's coming up ... the reason that civilized people in the West are going to get two days off ... is because at some point in time somebody decided that this is the day we would set aside to celebrate the birth of the Baby Jesus (whereby, had he been born an adult, we would have just had another myth to deal with that we didn't understand).

Over the last few posts, I've been trying to get behind who this character is. Obviously, he's had a tremendous impact on our culture, how we think and what we believe. There are various theories and there are a whole lot of people who claim to know exactly what he was thinking, what his Father was thinking and how this all fits together, but that's another issue we need to address at another time. (I personally think most of these know-it-alls have it all wrong, which is another reason why we'll deal with it later, OK?)

Look, I'm as amazed as many of you that it is not clear why there's even a holiday season, but the fact remains, as I learned from TV: not everybody knows. So, the next time, let me see if I can put it all as simply as possible ... just so we're on the same sheet of music.

Who would have thought? Till I saw the show, I didn't even know we were singing.

Is there another way to get there?

All roads lead to Rome, they say, but that's only if you're actually heading to Rome. What if you want to go somewhere else? I know there's a lot of you now thinking this not-me thing isn't really my cup of tea. I mean, where would we be if I didn't look out for good ol' Number 1? Yeah, who knows where we might end up.

You have to give this Jesus fella credit though: he knew how to keep it simple. I mean how hard did he really make it: Love Gd, love your "neighbor", and don't do anything to anyone else that you wouldn't want them to do to you. That's it. As I like to see it, just three simple rules, or principles, whichever you feel more comfortable with. It is the case, however, that there are some of you out there who don't believe in Gd. Your choice, I say. So, I think you've got it even easier, really, because then the system, the whole to-do, consists really of only two principles: love your "neighbor" and behave accordingly. How tough can that be? Two rules. C'mon, any of us can get it together with two rules, can't we? OK, apparently not.

As I read the story, this is what got him into trouble. The powers-that-were (which weren't a whole lot different than the powers-that-be today) knew that it was precisely these couple of rules which were going to ruin things for them. I mean, who's going to bow and scrape if everyone is looking out of other people, ordinary people, people who might for whatever reason need a hand. If we're all running around being Good Samaritans, if you like, who is going to pay them the respect and defer to them as they think is fit? Well, actually, nobody. My feeling has always been: if you want my respect, earn it. end of story. You don't get it just because you happen to think you deserve it. If you're playing by the rules, you get it because you're better and helping others and not doing stuff that you wouldn't want done to yourself. Anything else is, well, simply off program.

I know, I know ... not how things are, I hear you saying. All I can respond with is a question: why? Three billion people out there claim to be following this Jesus fellow and we're all gearing up for his birthday bash, and when I look around, all I see are folks who are looking for excuses not to follow him at all. Not even in a position to adhere to a couple of simple rules, rules that children, oddly enough, follow quite naturally, until we raise them to stop helping others and start looking out for themselves.

No, we're not putting our best foot forward, by any means.

A Christmas mystery

Our season of Christmas has now come and gone.
The mystery of thirteen that's twelve still belongs
to that which goes with us from year unto year
and the mystery inspires us to true hope and good cheer.

Today is Epiphany, the Day of Manifestation. It is a special day of the Christmas season, in fact a holiday in many places (like Spain where they exchange gifts today). According to the tradition, it was on this day that the Wise Men arrived at Bethlehem bringing their gifts to the baby Jesus. In more general terms, an epiphany is an awakening, a sudden perceptive insight into the true essence of a thing, usually triggered by some mundane, everyday event or situation.

Oddly, if we start counting on Christmas Day, which I've done, today is the 13th day, so why is it still part of Christmas. The connection with the Magi is clear, and which doctrines the Church has derived from this are well known, too. There's a bit of a mystery here, is there not? Since we started with the astronomical facts of the sun's descent into darkness, it is only fair to tell you something astronomical at the end of the season as well.

We're all aware there are twelve months in a year, right? That is twelve solar months. It takes the earth this long to revolve around the sun one time. Marking time by the sun is not a given, however, both the Jews and Moslems base their calendars on the moon, and given that Christianity itself is an outgrowth of Judaism, it seems only fair to include the moon in our thoughts as well. Truth be told, the moon only requires about 29.5 days to revolve around the earth, and that is the duration of a moon month. In other words, twelve solar months is equal to thirteen lunar months. Every year, astronomically, and mythologically, the thirteen becomes twelve.

This number symbolism is reflected in each of the three Western religions: we have the twelve tribes of Israel plus Moses, their leader; we have the twelve apostles plus Jesus; we have the twelve imams plus the Prophet Mohammed; that is, a circle of thirteen. One of the group always departs as well: Moses isn't allowed enter the Holy Land; Judas hangs himself; and one of the imams is hidden. The circle of thirteen manifests in the world as twelve. This same symbolism is reflected at this very special time of year as well.

This is a mere reminder of our own existence as well: we have a bright, external appearance as well as a darker, hidden internal nature. We are all truly part of the cosmos, a part of the world around us. How we function and what is hidden, what we share and what we retain is up to us. What we do and the impact we have resides in us. Since time immemorial we have been given the opportunity to figure out how things are and what part we are to play in the cosmic drama. Another round has passed. Are you better ready for that world?

Twelve drummers drumming

On the twelfth day of Christmas, endless joy does abound
and those we hold dear, we should gather around
to praise and be thankful for the blessing we live
and resolve in our hearts this to others to give.

So, who is ready to make the leap? Who is make the effort to just get back to basics? Though today might be the (almost) last day of Christmas, it still isn't too late.

But perhaps I should ask the real question: who has the courage to make the change? It is easy to sit back and talk about getting together, and it is not the biggest challenge we face to be a bit more open and communicative with our families. It's a nice start, but it's just that: nice, and a start. Yes, it's technically true that even the smallest change is movement toward change, but such small, individual, even familial changes are not all that enduring. Bigger change needs a bigger effort, and bigger efforts require a bigger dose of courage. It's not enough that we decide to change for ourselves, we have to take that change out into the world.

Why is it that most of us are too hesitant to bring this kind of change to the world? Why do we shy away from suggesting, perhaps even insisting on, cooperation instead of the standard, brutal, self-defeating competition? Each one of us needs to answer this question for him or herself, no doubt about it, but I think it has something to do with simply being afraid.

Most of us know the bully, the loudmouth, the cocky, self-convinced "winner", the alpha-types, the … well, you can fill in the blank. And most of us know at least one, if not more, of these types who is simply acting that way to cover over a terrible inferiority complex. In the "game" (where all this competition takes place), it's easy to be someone else: the go-getter, the doer, the mover, the shaker, the one always chasing after the "prize", however we may imagine that prize to be. But the more time you spend looking for other things, the less time you have to find yourself. Anyone, with a little effort, can play a role, what takes much more confidence and self-assurance to be yourself. As they say, you just can't talk the talk, to be you, you have to walk the walk as well.

One of the by-products of this time of year is the opportunity to go within, to take a deep, hard look at ourselves, not in terms of pre-set goals, hopeful ambitions, or personal accomplishments. All of those are changing and fleeting. The only prize worth claiming, in the end, is your True Self, and it was this admonishment that was inscribed across the portal to the Temple of Delphi in Ancient Greece: know thyself. By the way, and just in case you were wondering, you're not going to find yourself by just looking in your head. No, instead, look deep into your Heart. That's where you'll have a much greater chance of succeeding.

Eleven pipers piping

On the eleventh day of Christmas, we yearn even more
for the wonder that's coming, that approaches the door.
We make our hearts ready, and hope we're prepared
for the gifts that the Other again with us shares.

The Christmas season, the time between the years, is a wonderful opportunity that most of us let slip by year after year. It is too easy to get caught up in the hectic, the commercialism, and the celebrating. Let's face it: resisting is practically futile, given that the advertising and marketing assault starts earlier and earlier each year. If there ever was "proof" that we have exchanged our society for an economy, it's Christmas. Of course, it needn't be that way. Oh sure, it takes a good deal of effort, but I'm sure there is not a one of us who has not uttered that plea of desperation: "It just can't go on like this!" at one time or another. But to do that, we are going to have to change and therein lies the rub.

Who wants to change? We think it's great when others do. In fact, we're generally very much in favor of that. One of the points that I've been trying to get across the past two weeks, though, is that we're in this all together, and because we are, each of us has to do our part to make things different. Nothing will ever change if we refuse to change ourselves. And, we can never change ourselves until we change the way we think.

In the English-speaking world, we learn that John the Baptist, the precursor to the one whose birth is the center of the celebrations this time of year, admonished us to repent. What most folks don't know is that in the original Greek text, that's not the word that he used. No, good ol' John was crying metanoeite which means more "change your mind", "change the way you think". Now, as then, we are being called upon to re-evaluate just how it is we are looking at the world around us. We are being asked to re-examine whether what we think is the best we can do. We are being challenged to not just take care of business as usual. No, if we change the way we think, we actually change the world.

I know you have all heard all of this before. I never claimed to be saying anything new. My job, as I understand it, is simply to remind us of what it is we already know and what we may have forgotten in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. And it's because of that turmoil that we should really make the effort, at least once during the year, to stop, look, and listen to what is going on around us, to slow down long enough to engage someone else, to talk, to be together, to reflect, to reconsider, and maybe even re-think a few things. This is what the turn of the year, the end-of-year celebration, should be about.

Ten lords-a-leaping

On the tenth day of Christmas, our thoughts look ahead
toward the end of the season, and what has been said
about goings and comings and why there's a time
in each mundane year that may still be sublime.

If it is so obvious that "we" is more important than "me", and if it is so apparent that no one really gets to where they are (positively or negatively) without lots and lots of help from others, and if it is clear that the very notion of a self-made person is fundamentally flawed, why do we insist upon believing it? These are very strong, very pervasive and very persistent fictions, but we as a society, that is, we in the West, particularly America, have absolutely not problem accepting them not only as "true", but as givens, as if this is how the world actually works. Don't you find that strange? I do.

On Facebook and in my browsings elsewhere, I see a lot of ranting and raving about how silly it is to believe in things that are patently not true (like Santa Claus) or that have been "utterly refuted" (whatever that means, like the myth of Jesus or religion). Could it be that we have simply exchanged on "religion" for another? What I have also noticed is that there are widespread, impassioned pleas for rationality, as if this were a value in itself. How many of us have stopped to ask what "rational" really is?

The word derives from the Latin ratio, which has something to do with procedures, systems and ordering, but fundamentally it is a manner of separating, of dividing one thing from another. We see this in our English word "ratio" which expresses a proportion (e.g. ¼, that is one part of four). While dividing, sifting and sorting are extremely helpful skills, they are not the only ones that we should develop. We need to be even more adept at putting things together, of synthesizing, generating, and creating as well. If we extoll the dividing side, the ratio, we neglect the producing side. We become – pretty much as we are in general – unbalanced.

No, what I would make a plea for is creative-reasonable thought, or reasonably creative thought. Rational thought is not the epitome of thought, it is simply one of many kinds of thought. Over the course of human history, we have had other dominant types of thinking, to be sure. Rational thought is merely the last in a long line of them, and not necessarily the most advantagous generally speaking. You see, at times, it may be worth our while to even think about thinking itself.

That's another reason why this time of year is not only special but important. It is a time for us to exercise our minds in other ways, in positive, other-oriented, creative, and even magical and mythical ways. All of these kinds of thinking are part of who we are as human beings, and it seems such a waste to devote our time and energy to such a limited part of who we can be. But, you have to be open to it … to the possibilities these kinds of thoughts can bring and to the Spirit of the Season which is just another way of saying the same thing.

Nine ladies dancing

On the ninth day of Christmas, it's time to begin
reflecting on what gifts the new year may bring
but reflection is one thing, another to care
what gifts that we have and with others will share.

What I hope has been becoming clearer over the past week or so is that what is important to us was important to our forebears, that what is essential for us has not changed all that much over the years, that the intangible, feeling-based parts of life are just as existentially significant now as they have ever been. What has changed over the course of human development has not been so much our needs, wants and desires, but rather how we express them and how we think about them.

Though people have generally always been people, how we see and understand the world around us has changed. The early stories surrounding this time year were clothed in stories of light and warmth, in myths of sun-related, larger-than-life figures, but most of that has faded into the commercialist background of Santa Claus and economic stimulation. The meaning that those stories was held has become pale through lack of use. In other words, as the expression of what lies beneath and behind the stories has changed, we have changed the content itself. We moderns feel we have outgrown the childish stories of the path, but all that has happened is that we have cut ourselves off from our roots and prevented that we ever really grow up.

This time of year was established to remind us of how much we need one another to survive. And that hasn't changed over the almost two million years of proto-human and human history. There is no lone wolf, for wolves are pack animals. There is no individual apart from the group of which s/he is a part. We don't succeed on our own – though we have to do our part, no argument there – but rather through the help and support of others. These are human universals and it is time that we started admitting that trying to eliminate this part of our nature is not making us more human, rather it de-humanizes us.

We are confronted with a number of existentially serious issues: the climate/environment, the destabilizing of the eco-sphere; the exhaustion of resources, the overproduction of waste; the divide between the have's and have-not's, the dangerous inequality between rich and poor; the proliferation of violence on all levels (not just war, but crime rates, child abuse, mental disturbances, brainwashing, and more); the spread of disease and inhuman living conditions (it should matter if anyone starves to death on this planet). These affect us all, regardless of their causes, regardless of how they came to be issues. They are all issues in which we, human beings, have had a hand in creating. And it is for that very reason that it is up to us to do something about them. Yes, US, not the people across the street, or some foreigners in some faraway place, us. You, me, everybody you know, everybody I know, and everybody that they all know and beyond. Once again, it becomes clear: "we" is more important than "me".

Eight maids-a-milking

On the eighth day of Christmas, the year becomes new.
We wonder, resolve what we're going to do
in the time that's before us, how little we know
that the fire now within us will be barely a glow.

Happy New Year! The Eighth Day of Christmas is a new beginning. The new year has begun. Oh, how we love new beginnings, a fresh start, another chance ... . And we should. It's never too late. Old dogs, new tricks, it doesn't matter. You're never too old to learn, to grow, to change, to start over.

It comes at an odd place, though, two-thirds of the way through the season. We humans like symmetry, so why not have the new year start in the middle? Why is it off-center? Given that the solstices (beginning of winter and summer; shortest and longest days of the year) and equinoxes (beginning of spring and fall; equally long days and nights) all occur about two-thirds of the way through their respective months perhaps it is just fitting that the change of year be placed there as well. Or could it be that the last in the long line of figures whose birth is honored at this time of year, Jesus, is of Jewish descent and consequently would have been circumcised on this day? Oh, I know thoughts like that make some people uncomfortable, but this day would be, as it is for us today, a day of celebration. That's all I'm saying.

OK, it's not all I'm saying. My intent throughout these past few days has been to get you thinking differently about something as everyday as Christmas. Let's face it, Christmas is a pretty secular holiday and the ideas of having and money abound around this time of year. It wasn't the original intent of the holiday, as we have seen, and it could do us just a little good to stop and reflect on the state of things, perhaps because it would be worth shifting our attention just a little. As it is, we're on autopilot most of the time. We are so full of ourselves and our own cultural and social norms that we fail to recognize that others can and do see the world quite differently from us. Sure, we know that Asia starts their year at a different time and that certain religions have selected other days for their new year, but ours is the one that starts now and it is this one we would be best served to devote our attention to.

What all cultures have in common though, and what is probably the human element of it all is that new years mean new chances. We can't and shouldn't just drag all our shame, guilt and misdeeds with us forever. We should have the opportunity to be just a little sorry for our behavior and maybe, just maybe, to ask those we've offended for some heartfelt forgiveness. If we did, the new year would truly be new. It's not so much that we should add an additional burden on ourselves, say, in the form of some new year's resolution we know we won't keep, but rather, we should maybe just try being a little more thoughtful, a little more considerate of others, and a little kinder to those who share the world with us. You'd be surprised how much of a difference it can make.

Seven swans-a-swimming

On the seventh day of Christmas, we should take a rest
from struggling and striving, remember we're blessed,
for blessings enrich us when handled with care
and with those who don't have them always be shared.

I shiver at the thought, not because of the weather. The winters in these parts are getting milder, but the cold, hard cash that drives too much of our thinking these days is more than enough reason to seek more warmth. But where can we find it?

It's hard to talk about money without talking about success. For too many people, the measure of success is a person's net value, and when it's about money, it soon ends up being about "me". Like spoiled children, we hear the cries of "Mine! That's mine! You can't have it. No, mine!" Spoiled children are sad enough. Spoiled adults are even worse.

We also like to think, and we're told often enough, that what we have are the rewards of our own efforts. I didn't realize that inheritance was such hard work, but I don't know everything, yet most of the super-rich these days didn't earn their fortunes themselves. There are folks who did "earn" theirs, say Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, but does anyone think that Bill Gates worked harder than they did, especially those aspiring to get into the rich club? I doubt it, and so there is an apparent discrepancy between working hard and getting ahead. What about luck? What about being at the right place at the right time? These aren't things you can plan for and they have a strong influence on the difference between success and failure. But, worst of all, we are led to believe that they did it all on their own. And this is one of the biggest untruths in the history of propaganda.

You don't have to believe me. Try Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers for a behind-the-scenes look at what is really happening: being in the right place at the right time is more important than anything, and practice is more important than talent. These individuals then tend to get more than their share of support from everyone else, making success more of a collective than solitary effort. This is borne out in biology and evolution. David Sloan Wilson argues quite convincingly in his 3 August 2011, New Scientist article on selfless evolution that cooperation, not competition, is the strategic, that is, long-term evolutionary mechanism. Humans survive best and longest if they cooperate. Competition is destructive, and this is certainly the effects that we are seeing from the latest economic catastrophe.

Put more succinctly, "we" is much more important than "me", at least when thought about in the long-run. Nature knows this, but we seem to have forgotten. Our forebears, though, were also forced by nature to come together, to huddle together in search of warmth and hope for the year to come. It was a part of their experience. We haven't outgrown the experience nor have we found a worthy substitute for it, but the Twelve Days of Christmas give us the chance to regain that experience once more.

Six geese-a-laying

On the sixth day of Christmas, we should stop and reflect
on those who get lost or ignored through neglect
by well-meaning people, like you and like me
but they're there nonetheless, if we choose but to see.

If you've taken the time to give yesterday's question any serious thought, you will most likely have noticed something. It's hard to find a "why" in what you have or want to have ... more often than not we start thinking about what we want to be. This is a existentially fundamental distinction and it makes all the difference in the world. Erich Fromm, the émigré German psychoanalyst, wrote a book in 1942 which should be on everyone's reading list: To Have or To Be. It's not an academic volume of technobabble and overweening erudition, rather it is a simply written, human book that asks you to ask yourself the meaning question, too.

The question whether to have or to be has taken on renewed significance this year in particular as we have seen one country after another fall into extreme financial difficulties, as we witness the epidemic level of foreclosures being exercised by banks, as we struggle to escape the largest economic crisis in our lifetimes and which may be even worse – at least in certain regards – as the one that led to the Great Depression. Let's face it: we're not in very good shape and promising solutions are as good as nowhere to be found.

The result? A air of barbarism, I would say, and I don't think I'm exaggerating. If you want to know what someone thinks, just listen to their choice of words. It will tell you everything you need to know? Has it occurred to anyone besides me that the tenor of public dialogue has become harsher, crueler, more cynical, brash, aggressive and violent. Oh sure, we all know the effects of a good pepper-spraying or clubbing, but what about a well-executed tongue-lashing? You can wash the pepper spray out of your eyes and the cut on your head will heal, but the psychological wounds that are inflicted with words are some of the hardest to heal, and some never, ever heal properly.

Let's be honest, our entire public dialogue, be it in the public square or the presidential debates, is about one subject and one subject only: money. We only ever talk about money. The schools are collapsing because they have no money, and most people don't have money to send their children to other schools. Public services don't function without money and so the fire department watches a house burn down in Kentucky because the owner hadn't paid the subscription fee. Americans don't want to pay taxes because they don't know how the money is spent ... well, maybe building bridges to nowhere but certainly not fixing the ones that are in need of repair. If you step back and listen, I would be willing to bet that within the first 30 seconds of any conversation, debate or argument about any public issue, the money argument will arise: how are we going to pay for it ... or even better, who is going to pay for it.

Unfortunately, it is all only about the money anymore.