Some readers may disagree with my my views, however hear me out.
There many people who believe that being politically correct and respecting others beliefs will somehow challenge the integrity of the already highly commercialized cultural hybrid holiday know as Christmas. These days pundits, politicians and pissed-off people alike, love to toss around the dreaded term: "War on Christmas" like some sort of righteous battle cry. There are a lot of individuals that think Christmas is being taken away, but by who or what no one can agree, some say it's the president, others say the devil, liberals, the media, corporations, "kids these days" or The Grinch himself. The problem with this unwarranted fear is that the holiday is about a lot more than just saying the phrase: "Merry Christmas"—it's about the attitude. Whether or not you proclaim your beliefs should not change their meaning. 
For me personally, if someone says Merry Christmas I say it back and if they say Happy Holidays I say it back, so on and so forth, the point is it doesn't offend me. Keep in mind however, not everyone celebrates Christmas. Religious freedom means no one religion can be enforced on everyone.
The biggest threat to holiday cheer is not political correctness, but instead apathy. The best way to keep Christmas alive is to be decent to your fellow human beings. Giving, kindness and compassion speak volumes louder than any plastic baby Jesus ever could—that was the man's point after all. The spirit of the holidays is within us and is shared through positivity. The common thread of each holiday that is celebrated around this time of year is hope. Everything revolves around the belief that it will get better in the future; whether it's five minutes from now, for eight nights, in the next year or the next two-thousand years, we hold out hope.
One the most important holiday lessons to remember can be learned from Dr. Seuss's is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. We all know the story of the infamous Mr. Grinch who decided to steal good folks of Whoville's Christmas only to find that the joy of Christmas is not about the physical items. Not only do the Whos refrain from throwing The Grinch off a skyscraper like Hans Gruber in Die Hard, but they come together and remain happy, singing joyfully hand in hand in the town-square. The other wonderful part was that they forgave and accepted The Grinch. To me this is such a powerful message that we can all relate to. Some may look at this story and remark that the real is much more harsh but consider the recently departed Nelson Mandela. Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years and was able forgive his captors, he went on to dismantle apartheid become president of South Africa. Each of us have this truly amazing capacity for forgiveness, community, love and hope.In conclusion, the one and only Bill Murray:
P.S. Katy Perry
No comments:
Post a Comment