Saturday, December 19, 2015

Christmas: A Time For Peace and Reflection, Not Chaos

Earlier this year, Roosh hired a "masculine theologian" to write for Return of Kings. He writes under the name Aurelius Moner. I believe he is the same Catholic monk who submitted a few posts last year.

Lately he's been writing about Advent. Advent is a subject I admit to being ignorant of. I tend to think of Advent calendars, those dollar store chocolate dispensers, with one piece of chocolate for a child to eat each day of December leading up to Christmas Eve.

Aurelius Moner, as I said, has been writing about Advent. Here in the West, Christmas is a time for people to freak out, overextend, overspend, and exhaust themselves in an orgy of consumerism. Many people operate as if the law states you have to spend a certain amount and present a certain amount of presents.

One Christmas season not too long ago, my finances were sinking fast, and I grew incredibly frustrated at my ex-wife (still married at the time) as she rushed around as if a gun were to her head to meet some unwritten formula of "we have to spend $25 on distant relations, $50 on closer relations..." as my stomach tightened up wondering how I'd pay the bills on the next check. I could not get her to understand that mathematically, her expectations for Christmas were unrealistic and mostly unattainable. That or she could not get me to understand that the law in her cold, dark, world requires spending a certain amount whether you have it or not. And in her defense, she wasn't going as crazy as the average woman in America. We just didn't have the money that year.

I'm not a fan of the word "religion", because it means different things to different people. It's an equivocal word that can switch meanings at different points in the conversation. But I'll use it here. Christmas as part of the Christian "religion" is much different than Christmas of the secular, consumerist "religion".

In the liturgical Christian denominations, Christmas is supposed to be a time to slow down, to reflect, and to feel at peace as you fast and meditate on the Reason for Christmas. Then when you're done, you have a mega-feast and party.

Whereas in consumerism, it's a time to rush around like crazy, blowing money like it's not yours (Congress, you assholes!), and struggling to achieve perfection in gift giving and parties.

I'll save my thoughts on perfectionism for another post.

Even if you can't focus on why we have Christmas in the first place (yes, I know, it was the adoption of Saturnalia), slow down, enjoy the music and lights, and the time with friends and family. You'll feel better.

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