Happy Winter Solstice, sister!
Love means giving. But we must give warmth, not plastic; we must give time, not stuff. Only when we manage to remove from our sight the comfortable fog of religion married to the offspring of vice consumption will we have a chance to survive.
Every year, we are in a similar conflict: what they call ”Christmas” is approaching, and we no longer know what to say. What to wish you. Writing “Merry Christmas!” might be the most straightforward form, and we wish it from the heart if you believe in it, if it pleases you. Only, we struggle to send you serious and deep wishes based on a fairy tale invented two thousand years ago by an illiterate 14-year-old girl who did not know how to tell her husband she was pregnant, and he was not the father.
There is this beautiful story of a large department store in the city of Nagoya in Japan. December was approaching. The manager was keen to attract international customers and asked his staff to decorate the main hall in the Christmas style. After several intense days of work, the creation was revealed: a large nativity scene with Mary, Joseph, and the newborn, with an ox and a donkey, with elves and reindeer, with three wise men in the snow and above, over the escalator, a large cross, with Santa Claus nailed to it.
Silliness to the power of three has besieged our cities for over a month; like in a totalitarian state, the same melodies shatter from all speakers; the same songs are pressed into children's brains in kindergartens and primary schools. Like remote-controlled zombies, on Sundays, instead of enjoying the sun and clear air with our families, we storm the department stores. A green pen with a matching pencil! How original! It's exactly what I was missing. Thank you!
Our conflict is not only a question of creed, but it's also mainly a matter of destroying the world through our consumption “in the name of love”: the logic in our society is that “Christmas” is “the festival of love”, and we, like headless chickens, fall into the trap of misunderstanding “love” with “gifts”.
This year, every adult in Switzerland is spending 500 francs on objects to present as Christmas gifts. That avalanche of merchandise, being only a tiny fraction eco-friendly, will weigh heavily on Earth's eco-balance. Most of the pleasure given to children by “Santa Claus” (who is that character, anyway?) will evaporate in less than a week.
It's time to think. It's time to check where our actual values are. It's time to detach ourselves from thousands of years old myths and tales and to base our love for others and our children on the only thing that counts: the time given and spent together; the adventures lived in company, the given hugs, the warmth passed from one to another. Love means giving, yes. But we must give warmth, not plastic; we must give time, not stuff. Only when we manage to remove from our sight the comfortable fog of religion married to the offspring of vice consumption will we have a chance to survive. To live.
Happy Santa Claus, Happy Winter Solstice!
I am glad that the light is returning.
