25/12/2023
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Merry Christmas!
A while back, Margaret and I had the great fortune of visiting Thailand between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Driving through Bangkok one evening, we were amazed to see a city so “aglow” in the Christmas spirit.
The trees lining the streets were decorated with beautiful strings of Christmas tree lights, threads of changing colors flashing in intricate moving patterns. Giant department store windows were filled with winter scenes, decorated trees, and varied images of Santa Claus in his reindeer-driven sleigh. On display were piles of wrapped Christmas presents and plastic human models exchanging and enjoying their gifts (all of which, of course, were available for sale within the store).
So … “Why is this relevant?”
Firstly, 93% of Thailand’s population are Buddhist, while 5.5% are Muslims. Christian’s make-up less than 2% of the population. Why the all-out effort to celebrate Christmas? Observing the West, they perceived that this season was a “happy” time for families coming together and sharing gifts. Well, the Thai culture embraces happiness, so that was appealing. However, there was also a deeper incentive, it represented a time of unbridled commercial success. Christmas = shopping.
How can a Buddhist nation embrace Christmas? From their observations of Western culture, the holiday has no serious connection with religious or spiritual relevance, it was just simply “happy party-time.”
What was left out of their observations of the West’s Christmas holiday display is something that we have lost, and, consequently, what the Thais were unable to observe. Is there a meaning behind Christmas other than gift-giving? YES. Christmas originally represented a time of spiritual reflection on the importance of Love, Peace, and Harmony, and an emphasis on the value of community.
As we come into this Holiday Season, what is the health of our “community”? The population is deeply divided by political, economic, religious, and racial animosity. Unpleasant as all this is, it is a natural step in the breakdown of a dysfunctional civilization as we clear the decks to generate a more sustainable society. So, if there was ever a more suitable time to engage a more spiritual relevance to the season, it is now.
While the focus of Christmas is on the birth of Christ, perhaps we should also focus on the last words before Christ left this planet: “God, forgive them, they know not what they do.” Jesus was beseeching God to forgive people because their behavior was separate from their spiritual origin. As has been emphasized on this site, subconscious programming overrides the spiritual entity expressed in the conscious mind. People perceive of themselves as victims of life because they do not observe the 95% of their lives controlled by subconscious habits, the majority of which are disempowering, self-sabotaging, and limiting behaviors.
While I do suggest that forgiving them is good for them and especially yourself, it does not mean you have to be friends or pals with them! This is an evolutionary good time to encourage the bonds of community to birth a more sustainable civilization, while extracting yourself from the world’s chaos. For fun and good feelings, call a friend with whom you have been out of contact. A “love” call from out of the blue can be the best gift a person could receive in a year of instability.
With Peace, Love, and Light … the Christmas “Spirit,”
Bruce
