Daily Mood Quotes - December 8, 2011

 Daily Mood Quote

Day 216 - December 8, 2011

Nothing gives a person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.

~ Thomas Jefferson

I believe that somehow the concept of why this particular holiday season exists has been completely lost in the tidal wave of consumerism and mass marketing that has enveloped our nation. Everywhere I have been over the last three days I have seen and noted more miserable faces and impatient people than I could have ever imagined. They are on the roads and sidewalks, in the stores and even at holiday events. I have to ask, where did patience and good cheer go? I understand that we all have busy lives and there are expectations of us to be here, or there, to do this, or that and many have very foolishly embraced the concept of “I'll rest when I'm dead” as a mantra for modern living, but “in the course of human events (Yes, I borrowed that from the Declaration of Independence),” we have unwittingly transformed a season of thanks into a season of anger and angst. The problem is that it isn't just the normal family holiday infighting, or other small squabbles, that is causing this angst; that's just life. Its the guy in the Escalade SUV behind you, waving his fist furiously and tailgating all the way into the store's parking lot, then running by you into the store, or the shopper with carts full of gifts (you know they are gifts, because no 40 year old needs a Pillow Pet), who while cursing, plows over an older lady who might be moving a bit slower than light speed. I have personally witnessed both in the past two days.

Granted, I have been a bit distracted myself with my father's frail condition and the weight of the holidays bearing down, but gee whiz, I'm convinced things have gotten completely off track in regards to the Christmas season. I see lots of holiday “action,” with little or no holiday spirit out there. It misses the point completely. Its sad and more than a bit disconcerting. Its like giving somebody an ultra lousy birthday party, by doing everything completely opposite of their wishes. Do you think this is what Jesus of Nazareth had in mind when he said “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you (NIV)”? Doesn’t make sense does it? Yet, invariably from the end of November to the end of December it seems as if otherwise decent people embrace the foulest and lowest of behaviors; all to get the deal, get the gift and shove in line ahead of the other guy...for Christmas!!! It really baffles me. 

There have been people giving Christmas gifts for two thousand years and in some way shape or form, they will be presumably doing so for the rest of human history. Who do they think they are getting “ahead of” and how does that relate to the meaning of the holiday? I really don't think the three wise men raced each other to get “there” first, but what do I know. All I know is that it seems like a really crappy way to celebrate anything, let alone a birthday. And for the record, I do not hold the “organized churches” to blame here. There is something else that drives this schizophrenic social behavior and it/they may be found cowering around the feet of Charles Dickens' “Christmas Present” apparition (the story is as relevant today as it was when written). They are the twin specters of "want" and "ignorance" and they have been silently, yet virulently with us all these long centuries, since before any organized religion, before the Nazarene walked on earth and before Dickens' story. I believe, they are artifacts of our early evolution that have hung around like viral DNA and have found ways to undermine and ruin humanity's best attempts at civilization. We need an antidote for our own baser psychologies. “Want:” is anything we don’t have and believe will somehow make things “better,” or equal to someone, or something else. “What a crock! (thanks Three Men and a Baby).” “Ignorance:” she soothes the mind and tells us “it's okay, what you don't know can't hurt you.” But in fact ignorance is a congenital liar who cannot tell a truth. They are both vestigial functions that creeped into our brain structure, when we as a species, began to pull ourselves out of the mud. It is one thing to be motivated, we need that, but the stop switch isn't working yet. And, we can't process everything all the time, there is just too much, but a door to tightly shut keeps both light and sustenance out.

So, with that said, I can't say I have an answer. But, I suspect that author James Allen may have had at least a clue when he combed through history and said. “The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.” So, where is the tranquility gene?

How will you “be calm” today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote

Thank you for reading

Daily Mood Quotes - December 6, 2011

Daily Mood Quotes

Day 214 – December 6, 2011

“Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day.”

~Unknown Author

It is the holiday season and everyone I know has something they love about this season. I'm no different. I like the decorations and the television holiday specials like; It's a Wonderful life with James Stewart and A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott, but the thing I like the most is the music. My favorite holiday song is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Many of us have sung this song at one time or another in our life, but do we ever “listen” to the words and understand their meaning? When I was a child, I would sing the songs and never really pay attention to the meaning. I knew the words of the song, but never what the song was saying. It wasn't until I was an adult that it hit me like a lightening bolt. I was in the military and a co-worker said to me after we finished singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (badly, both out of tune and maybe a little tone deaf), “do you know what that song means?” My response was, “its a song, it has no meaning, you sing it and then your done.” Being young, inexperienced and naïve I thought I had that answer down pat. Boy, was I wrong. My co-worker, who was from another country, told me the song was about acceptance, or in Rudolph's case, not being accepted because he was different. I must tell you, this was my very first lesson in human diversity and I was ashamed that I fell into the category of being blithely unaware.

You see, I grew up in a racially mixed and culturally diverse neighborhood. My friends had parents that came from all walks of life and their surnames read like a map of the world. So, I never gave a second thought to how most people view others, who may be of different race or religion. To me they were always just people. I was more interested in if they behaved in a civilized manner, than where their ancestors may have called home. This, like all human action, was/is both good and bad. First, to so many ancestral culture is a source of deep pride and identity. To ignore that is to miss out on the fundamental essence of the person(s) humanity, their unique gifts and the necessity of diverse points of view and that's not really fair. But on the good side, seeing everyone as equal from the start levels the playing field and provides a baseline of behaviors for peaceful co-existence.

The late Martin Luther King Junior said in his landmark speech, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."” The speech in its entirety is an oratorial masterpiece in my opinion and its point is clear. We all need to adjust our viewpoints to be inclusive, not exclusive. We all need to be open to change and the benefits of a free and open society. More importantly, we all need to rise and live up to the promise of freedom and justice, that those brave souls in our military still fight for today. It is good to remember that we are in fact all descendents of immigrants. This holds true for every corner of the country and quite honestly the entire globe. Our not too distant ancestry is common (biologically speaking) and all of humanity has emigrated to where we find ourselves now.

I think it's disconcerting and eerily ironic that in the case of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, “poor Rudolf” was excluded from everything until there was a dire need and he the only solution. Well shame on those ignorant reindeer and even to Santa for fostering an atmosphere of exclusion (at least in the song)... I still deeply believe in the Spirit of Christmas. We have real issues in this nation and in the world; it is a shame that we are letting our petty differences, especially where we may have come from, interfere with the common and urgent needs of humanity. You never know when the next urgent need will arise in your life, who the next “Rudolph” might be, or where he or she may come from. Or, will we like Ebeneezer Scrooge (played by George C. Scott) uttered in the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, “What have I done... to be abandoned like this?” It's better to play nice! Did we not learn anything in kindergarten?

Melissa Etheridge said, “I feel my heart break to see a nation ripped apart by it's own greatest strength---it's diversity.” Something to think about.

How will you view differences today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote

Thank you for reading