"Curiouser and curiouser" is a quote by Alice in Alice and Wonderland. She said it when the world she was in got stranger and stranger.
Now, here we are in 2019 America and things keep getting weirder and more bizarre. I won't even mention that the U.S. president reminds me of a rabid baboon because I know so many people love him. Love away, folks.
I guess what strikes me most is that I'm told we live in a "Christian" nation yet our country is so extremely violent. Of course, evangelicals will say "it's a sign of the last days" rather than actually doing something about it. And to live the example set by Jesus Christ, well, that appears forgotten.
U.S. politics have become entertainment and we all secretly enjoy the president's continual crass statements and then the shocked liberal response. It's better than any reality show. Meanwhile, the wealthy business people continue to take over American politics and push policies that promote immediate wealth, at the expense of the environment and working class.
Just this week in my state of Georgia the governor DID NOT appoint an esteemed congressperson to a vacant senator position, like he should have. Instead he put a wealthy businessperson in the senate seat, a woman with zero political experience who just happens to be a huge Republican donor. Sadly, she replaced one of the last few good Republicans, Senator Johnny Isakson, who was a dignified statesman that worked his way up the political ladder like a politician should. The senator is leaving December 31 due to health reasons. I wish him well.
Christmas
Christmas has always been a holiday that's hard for me to figure out. As a kid I was told it was to celebrate the birth of Jesus and then there was the guy in the red suit who gave toys, and then there were the lights and trees. Christmas is actually several traditions all rolled into one day.
The idea of Santa Claus mainly comes from a 4th century Greek bishop named Saint Nicholas, who gave gifts to poor children. Now we have hundreds of container ships coming from Asia and bringing junk to America. On Black Friday, people wait hours in line to buy the junk and run up their credit card debt. Poor St. Nick is now used as a retail symbol during holiday advertising. As hordes of shoppers rush into stores they may throw a quarter into the Salvation Army bucket, so the helping poor kids thing is covered.
Then there are the pagan traditions. While our Earth desperately needs trees to combat climate change, thousands are chopped down and put inside houses, and then tossed. And while we desperately need to reduce fossil fuel emissions, electric plants across the land must burn more fuel to power all the pretty lights.
I'm one of those few people who've actually read the Bible and I can tell you that if Jesus knew what we've done to his birthday he wouldn't like it. As for me, I've decided not to celebrate it anymore other than buying one gift each for my grandchildren.
For years I've called Christmas "environmental genocide," and I am then called a "Scrooge" for even questioning this bizarre holiday. Plus there is the issue of lying to children about a magic man coming down the chimney. Lying to children can never be a good thing and creates a bad precedent for their future lives.
As a simple man I don't think Jesus would want his birthday to be celebrated at all. And as for the mass retail consumption and various traditions that hurt the environment, I don't see the point. If you want to honor the tradition of St. Nick by giving a few items to the poor, well, that's what the holiday is really all about.
Back To Basics
Getting back to Alice in Wonderland I think author Lewis Carroll was a genius in his ability to depict modern America 150 years into the future. We are now living in a phase of our history where nothing is real anymore and truth, facts, and civility have all lost meaning. If there is something you don't like or don't want to deal with all you have to do is deny it or create a lie about it. Our society has become completely unmoored from facts.
I want to keep blogging and I want to maintain hope, but deep down my gut feeling is that the human species is doomed. We as a civilization are unable to do the things that make sense, and instead do the things that bring us immediate gratification. "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die," is our collective motto.
What we need to do is actually follow the example set by Christ and live a simple and nonviolent lifestyle. We need to get our happiness in other ways besides retail orgasms and constant indulgence. We need to stop using people and start thinking about what we can do that really makes a difference. At the end of the day all the partisan chest pounding is meaningless. What really matters is our actions.
I'm an avid recycler and even recycle the items of others. I bring my own shopping bags to grocery stores. I try to lead a simple and humble lifestyle. I wish I could afford a hybrid car because even though it creates a ton of pollution to build one at least they are a good symbol and reminder for a green lifestyle.
One thing that particularly wears me down is the constant hypocrisy I see on both the political Left and Right. No one can smell their own shit any more. As a liberal I will always open my mind and arms to conservatives even though I see them as blind lemmings marching off a cliff. These people need love. To the Christians who provoke a fight with the gay community, I can say that my disappointment in you is particularly high. Learn to love people who are different than you and then you will get a real blessing.
The Earth
Oh, to get to the point of the picture above I wish that we could all just get back to the things that matter. Instead of buying carts full of junk at Christmas, instead of dwelling over gay marriage, or partisan bickering, why can't we just chill out and plant trees? I'm tired of all the comments of disconnection about climate change like, "it's unproven," or "Al Gore is just trying to enrich himself." The science supporting climate change is overwhelming and to question it is simply a form of laziness and denial. If we really want to go out and have a good holiday it needs to be Earth Day on April 22. Better yet, every day should be Earth Day.
So, get drunk on your eggnog, kiss your librarian under the mistletoe, and sing happy Christmas carols until you're hoarse. Worship your nationalism, religion, and your orange bloated cult leader. Go with the flow and enjoy the day, for tomorrow won't be so good. Hold your liquor mugs up high and shout that "America is Great." For in the end, nothing matters except for doing the things that matter.
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| Me with my foster dog and St. Nick, who is actually my old gym coach. |
