Dec. 12, 2020
I think it’s safe to say that most of us born in the 1970s and before can remember when life was different. Western Civilization values, as we knew them, were rooted in family, religion and hard work. Most folks had a compass in which to direct their lives. They knew who they were and where they came from. It was understood that they had friends and family that had their backs if they needed it.
However, these concepts have since faded. The advent of television and the polishing of propaganda practices have left us not knowing if our thoughts are our own, or simply a product of years of programming. The process of demoralization and destabilization have been completed. Consider the fact that even the holidays have become a ‘trigger’…one that should put us on alert for stressful situations and confrontations with family. It doesn’t have to be like that.
So, as this holiday season approaches, let’s all try and remember. Focus on family memories of Christmas’s past. Write them down. Find old photographs taken with a camera, not a phone. Share them with one another…
The smell of the Christmas tree you tromped out in the hills to find with your dad and cut down, dragged home, and then decorated until it was magical. Family gatherings with your entire family….parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Mom’s hard work to make the perfect Christmas dinner from scratch, never never completely appreciated until years later. Red, blue, green and gold glass goblets set on a festive table and coveted by those at the kid's table. My grandmother's nativity set on top of the piano. Presents under the tree prettily wrapped. Christmas programs and a brown-paper bag full of peanuts and candy afterwards. Candle-light church services and the once-a-year traditional carols. Some years, if you were lucky, a softly falling snow and skating on the lake if it was frozen...
We have to hold on to these treasures, especially as the world appears to be spinning mercilessly out of control. If we don’t remember, we will be manipulated into believing what we are “told” is normal, when we know with all of our hearts, it is not. None of this is. To return to a simpler way, is not dismissing progress. It is merely a method to sift through and filter the noise and nonsense.
And so, I wish very much that you, my friends, will have a beautiful Christmas season void of fear and filled with laughter, joy, family, and reflection. Turn off the television ‘programming’ and social media ‘noise’ and just be….somewhere in time.
Comments