The following is an excerpt from an online discussion of the meaning of Christmas, its pagan-like rituals and what is the “right” thing to do during the Christmas season. This is my response to a rather heated debate between a myself, a Christian and an atheist on the meaning of Christmas. What seemed to be my key observation was how angry the Christian was getting in relation to the atheist’s remarks. Why, I wonder, do we have the need to see the outward manifestation of our beliefs in others? Why is it so necessary that our paths be not only accepted, but walked, by others? As the Observer, I found not only the anger in others, but my need to mention the “wrongness” of others as a distraction from my path of inward experience. In this, however, I realize I needed to have the outward experience in order to know the need for inward reflection on it.
If we could all just see what all of this does…what it all means. The entire debate is a distraction.
Religion, when not an inward ritual or protestation of faith, fails to be meaningful regardless of what outward signs of correctness there may be. Religion, when not an inward activity of a devotion one has chosen as his or her path, fails to be a path at all, but more of a “billboard” advertisement of what the path should be for the holder of the sign. If we all just did what we say others should do without saying anything at all, wouldn’t this world be a much happier place to carry out this existence?
Christians could justify Christmas just by living Christ in Christmas. The action of having everyone else justify it makes it a meaningless and trivial ritual.
We are so soaked in our need to make others see things our way that we fail to be the way. That’s my observation of this entire thread, my input included. I have failed to be focused on my path as my path, while allowing others to seek their destination in their own way. I offer my apologies.
No one is truly wrong in the activity of debate, it is what it is without error or judgment if such judgment can be eliminated. While the opinions may be “wrong” for me (making them “wrong” in my opinion), they are not truly “wrong” in the collective sense, the universe would judge my path as “wrong” or “right” as the other. In this sense, they just “are”.
Namaste.
©2009 Thomas P. Grasso All Rights Reserved