DeeEl's Mo Chroí Scríofa

We ARE At War!!!

A year ago I came to learn of a song.  It isn’t a new song by any means.  The song “War Is Over” was written by John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, in 1971.  With the US in the midst of the Vietnam War, John Lennon was very vocal in his anti-war beliefs.  At a time of war it is usually construed that Anti-war is the same as Pro-peace.  Pro-peace is so much, much more than just being against war and violence.  Some say that true peace can only come from Yeshua.  Others believe good Karma and meditation are the path to real peace.  All of this is good and so many other things as well.

I came to know this Lennon song after losing my hearing.  I knew I liked the music but didn’t know what the words were saying.  I did know it was played in the course of a Christmas segment of some sort.  I had a conversation with a friend who loves music and is a wonderful DJ in Second Life™.  I told him some of the words and finally he said it sounded like I was talking about John Lennon’s Happy Xmas.  I promptly went to Google and found myself listening to the song streaming on YouTube with the lyrics showing on the screen.  I listened and read for about 3 hours.  Yes, the same song for three short hours.  I cried so hard as my heart listened to the words as I read them.

War Is Over speaks of reaching out to others; other races, cultures, ages.  As humans we pride ourselves in 20/20 vision.  Perhaps if the entire world population were blind and deaf we would stand a better chance for peace.  We learn to disapprove and even hate those who are different from us.  We are so intent on revising and editing each other to chisel out a world-wide society that is identical to us.  We are alike.  Every human-being all over the world.  We all have bones and blood beneath the skin and hair that holds us together.  We all have hearts that beat and pump the blood through our veins.  We breath air into our lungs.

Where we differ is in our appearances, our beliefs, the way we think.  Yes, some of the ideas we hold are in error (i.e.: thinking ourselves better than everyone else), but not all of them.  It should be out differences that bring us closer together and give us the opportunity to learn from each other.  Perhaps I don’t like to eat pig, does this make those who do evil for doing so?  My skin is pale and I have green eyes.  Does this mean that a person with olive complexion and dark eyes can’t be a good person or my friend?

There is a war that we are all involved in.  It doesn’t matter our age, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation.  WE ARE ALL AT WAR.  The war is for peace.  I will post later regarding fighting.  But when we say we are a peaceful people, we should live it.  Thanks to the wonderful world of Second Life™, I have made friends with people all over the world.  They are of different races, cultures, religions and even sexual orientations.  We met on a different plain and got to know each other and accept each other as human-beings without adding prejudice and bias.  On this last day of  Chanukah, I hope those who celebrate it each received a set of blinders.  I hope those who keep Xmas will also receive some and then for Kwanzaa the same.  Put on your blinders and use ear plugs to fight this war.  Use your heart to get to know other people who are not like you in the way you think and believe.  No one says you have to change your ways and believe as they do.  Education, understanding and acceptance will be our weapons.

Listen and watch John Lennon and do so with your heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvNRHrKyaX4

The Cost To Be Holy

It’s that time of year again.  The two months of the year that people around the world try to be as ‘holy’ as possible.  Yes, that’s right; the holiday season is upon us, again.  For at least the last two months retailers have been advertising how they can help you have the best holiday ever.  Claims of making your holiday cheaper or giving you more for your holiday pummel through our radios and televisions giving us pause to ponder where to go and what to do.

As a little girl, I remember watching the seasonal animated movie How The Grinch Stole Christmas.  This heart warming tale endeared me to the thought of what holidays should be about.  Even after the mean ogre came in and stole the presents, decorations and food, the Who’s were still able to come together with a song in their hearts and embrace the one thing that truly matters ~ each other.  It was this that moved Grinch to return everything and join the festivities.

Being a fan of Jimmy Stewart, I am well acquainted with his movie It’s A Wonderful Life.  Here a man who, believing he has just lost everything because he lost a large sum of money, wants to end his life.  In comes an angel to help hom realize that what matters most isn’t the material possessions and money we accumulate, it is actually friends and loved ones we hold dear.

years ago the holiday season began (in the US) with Thanksgiving Day.  The Thanksgiving Day parade ushered in Santa Clause and the start of the Christmas season.  The day after (aka Black Friday) would be the first day you could purchase specific Christmas items.  These days, Santa Clause comes to town during Columbus Day parades in October after retailers begin selling Christmas lights during the summer.

There is always a frenzy each year to sell more, to buy more.  Then by mid January the frenzy turns into an uproar beginning with complaints of how much was spent for the holidays.  The gifts, the food, the charitable donations; everything adds up to spending way too much.  o, why do it?  Every year I hear people say that you can’t have Christmas without ‘stuff’.  I did some checking.

There are three main winter holidays ~ Chanuka, Christmas and Kwanzaa.  Chanukah has been celebrated for a few thousand years and is to celebrate the miracle of the oil lasting eight days when there was only enough for one day during the restoration of the Temple.  Gift giving did not enter this festival till modern times as the Jewish children were jealous of the presents the other children received for Christmas.

Christmas came about a lot later and was added into the celebration of winter solstice and yule.  This is when gifts were given to the gods to pay homage for the season.  Christians incorporated their ‘religious’ ideas into the celebration to be able to maintain honoring this holiday.  Over-indulgence came with the package.

Kwanzaa is the newest member of the winter holidays only being created in 1966.  this holiday was designed for gift giving.  However, the intent was for the person to make or create a specific gift for its recipient.

I am not knocking any of these holidays.  however, if the true intent or meaning of a special day is lost or forgotten or it brings about so much stress and strife, why continue?  From my studies of these holidays, including yule/winter solstice, I find no place where followers are encouraged to over-indulge, spend too much, neglect to pay bills and go further into debt.

Another aspect of this holy time that bothers me is charitable contributions.   I am not against giving to charities or helping those less fortunate.  What bothers me is that people seem to only feel the need to be charitable two months out of the year.  I also add that it is the last two months of the year.  this, in my opinion, is so they can claim it on the income taxes in April.  Needy people are needy 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days a year.

It is not my desire to keep folks from celebrating.  Nor do I want to sway you to celebrate certain holidays.  I firmly believe that ALL people should be remembered ALL year long and not just for two months.  If you are only going to remember someone at one time during the year and pay no regard for them the rest of the time, what kind of message does that send about you and your sincerity?  Holiness should not put you into debt and generosity should be your theme every day of the year.