#88 SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS
SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS
By PETER THOMAS BUSCH
I
f you remove that element of fantasy, the day becomes a bit dull.
A more practical approach to the passing hours, though, allows more things to be accomplished in the real world as opposed to setting the mind adrift in what may be, one day, but not today, or any time soon for that matter.
The pain staking attention to the details of the day and ordering of those tasks appropriately may be more important to humanity than that big hopeful feeling. In a way, the wish for what is at the end of the rainbow is but an existential delusion that holds back humanity from taking more practical steps to improving civilizations, communities and neighborhoods.
The little details can be compelling in and of themselves, while holding back on that wish may also prevent a lot of bad things from occurring. For example, that wish to succeed and dominate may eventually tumble thoughts like dominos into winning and war, whereas accepting the reality of the need to coexist might provide better results all around.
The imagination goes a long way in making the day happen. You have to think fancy thoughts just to get out of bed some days. But events later in the day can get out of control with just a bit too much of that very same intellectual magic.
Peace is often associated with Christmas as that perfect nexus of reliably proven facts and just enough imagination to become the global celebrations that Christmas has become. The facts that the children have gathered around the tree awaiting the opening of the presents maybe be the greatest truth about the day, and then even that world may fall sideways if everyone preempted the natural occurrence of Christmas pleasure by opening presents the night before on Christmas Eve.
What is real and proven about Jesus got bumped by the arrival of Santa Claus in a classic conflict between the true facts of world history and the conjuring of the imagination. The idea of Santa Claus developed in phases through various incantations until democratic consumerism institutionalized the department store Santa.
Only children with those huge imaginations and insatiable appetites for adventure unhindered by the true facts of a grinding reality can accept that that fat old man in a red suit sitting in a chair in the department store can drop presents by the Christmas tree all around the world by sliding down the chimney withing a few hours of leaving the North Pole.
The prophets existed no doubt. But they did not necessarily tell the children of the world about Santa Claus. Reality has become quite different since the time of Muhammad and Jesus. But historical time was more difficult for the people living then around the prophets than contemporary time is for us. A naturally wise person could have definitely cast a wide embrace around the community in those days with a bit of common sense when people struggled without automated dishwashers and electric mixing bowls.
SOMETHING BEYOND COMMON SENSE
The prophets offered something beyond practical common sense when they provided hope in times of utter squalor for the many followers that grew and grew. So compelling was the wisdom of the prophets that pilgrims still make their way to Mecca for Muhammad and to Jerusalem for Jesus.
The prophets united people during a time when the accumulated detailed tasks involved in self-preservation were often insurmountable. People died young after a hard life.
The daily toils always carry the potential for a bit of spirituality when the out of the ordinary so obviously compels events from time to time. Pure wisdom that has positive impacts on the everyday chores such as fishing for food and securing enough potable water for the day can never be overrated.
The Romans then were bent on conquering and maintaining their imperial possessions. And those Holy Lands continued to be hard fought for territory for centuries right up to the modern day struggles between the Israelites and the Palestinians.
People from all over the world now clash over the same Holy Sites often more for political reasons than the real reality people must confront daily on both sides of the spiritual divide.
The territories along the northern Mediterranean shores and along the continental shores of North Africa were often flipped from the Muslim influence of the Ottoman Empire to the roaming armies of the crusades under Christian command. To this day national armies of Christendom and Islam still kill with one hand while praising the heavens for guidance with another.
Everyone seems to have forgotten that the archangel Gabriele appears as a messenger of God in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran.
I am afraid for humanity’s sake that everyone seems to have missed the meeting when the original codes of conduct were discussed in detail because as the machine made life easier for industrial civilizations, the machine enabled military generals to wage even deadlier wars.
Nuclear fission can be used to light the world through power generation or annihilate civilizations with atomic weaponry.
That same imagination that engineered industrial civilization divides people into different congregations and different sects. The most dominant Christian order being the Catholic Church has a small independent enclave in Rome called Vatican City. Christians all thump the same Bible though – although certain parishioners prefer the King James translations.
The Bible presents a study of the little details whose profound meaning has nurtured civilizations through the centuries, with some pages having been added as part of the treasure trove of ancient scrolls found in the caves along the Dead Sea.
Like the United States Supreme Court when referencing the United States Constitution, the jury on the meaning of the Bible is divided in part between those originalists believing in the literal word of the Bible as true and the members in the realist camp believing that while the narrations are accurate, the individual words may have been embellished a bit within the circumstances of the time of writing when people could not run to the movie theatres for a fantasy fix.
Christians are fascinating individuals coming together in the understanding that Jesus lived and died during the Roman occupation of Jerusalem. But then (and this explanation is an oversimplification for purposes of peace) the Christians divide into groups based on what Jesus may or may not have directed to be done in the real world. The distinctions between interpretations are more complicated than that of course.
Ultimately, Christians follow in Christ’s footsteps, and the perfect Christian is as mirror perfect a living example of Christ as can be expected in modern times. Following Jesus would have been a lot simpler even three centuries ago without the psychological distractions of saloons, television and high stakes casinos.
Christmas allows for a time of reflection, perhaps around the Christmas tree before and after the arrival of Santa Claus, and perhaps also at the breakfast table when everyone finally is all at the same place to start the day for one of the few peaceful, contemplative moments of the year.
Several key intellectual figures from human history chose the contemplative life dedicated to the study of spirituality and humanity who then stood ground to advise the most powerful of kings or the reigning big daddy of the neighborhood as the soldiers marched.
The popularity of the prophets was grounded in the real world with codes of conduct issued to the gathering crowds that still resonates to this day. The same triggers makes a jealous person angry 2100 years later because of the universal truths that make up the human intellect regardless of the religious banners installed overhead the entrance to the speakers hall.
But really, this time of year is purposely meant as a time of pleasure in that gentle reprieve from the very unpleasant rigors of the rest of the year. How we get there to that moment, and in what shape everyone arrives there at, is often a product of individual choices made throughout the year.
For some people, Christmas is a brief escape from work. For soldiers, a momentary truce from the impending death and destruction of the day may be the best result of all. For many more civilian soldiers marching down the dimly lit corridors of time, Christmas is a day to stop and give thanks.