Why? — I am Socialist, Atheist, Pessimist and Republican
St. Elias — is a religious holiday that hass been celebrated by my ancestors for centuries. Almost every year on that day I go to the pleace where they are celebrated.
Here’s what happened one year:
When I was a teenager at age fifteen, I was visiting my grandfather. At that time he was an assistant to the priest, and therefore his first guest was the priest from that region, to whom my grendfather always welcomed him — in his old, but well-kept house.
After some time on that summer day at noon, people went to church to celebrate this religious holiday. Normally, there were the priest, my grandfather, some of their auxiliaries working for the church and others…
When the ceremony begins, in a crowded silence the guests listened to the priest as he preached. He spoke about democracy, equality, justice and what not jet… He told people that on this day they do not eat food containing fats, do not drink alcohol, do not smoke… and forgive the sins they made to their closest and friends over the year. As everyone present here, I listened and I was proud of everything the priest said. But when the prayer ended, the people left and the priest with the auxiliaries went to my grandfather’s house, I saw something else — the reverse of what happened in the church.
On the upper floor of my grandfather’s house there were three rooms, but the one was bigger and well-decorated . Usually guests come here. On the big table, which was in the middle of the room, there were about a dozen chairs and the same number of guests.On the main chair was my grandfather as a host; to his right was the priest, on his left was his assistant and so all the other guests — members of the local community. Before each guest on the table there was a bottle of brandy, roast pork, several types of fat food, beautiful desserts and many — old wine… Everyone smoked, talked softly and smiled unnaturally. Everything the priest spoke to with people in the church, here — he did the opposite.
I saw this when I accidentally climbed upstairs, fortunately or, alas, the door of the main room was half open, probably from my grandmother, who served the guests.
The next day — frightened, for everything I saw, I told my grandmother, but she smashed me and ordered me not to talk obout this again.
Then I realised that this is a terrible thing… which later became fun for me.
This is just one of the many reasons why I’m clever with religion, democracy, equality, optimism, reality and humanity…
God bless you!
My dear reader
