The Pageless Book

Photo by Lucas B.

During this week, I observed a large number of blog entries being made concerning minimizing the consumerism of the holiday season. While waxing philosophical concerning Christmas is certainly understandable, I don’t think I was quite prepared to see my peers in this community become so critical of this season. And critical my colleagues were - so much so that I was taking notes.

For example, Dan Kimball from Vintage Faith not only took aim at consumerism, but also confronted the supposed “culture wars” over Christmas in his article. Elsewhere, Reverend Tony turned a popular catch phrase on its head asking “What Would Jesus Buy?” Both of these articles will be in the back of my mind while I discuss with my wife what future winter holidays will look like in our household. Perhaps next year, we can agree to start a tradition of giving to the poor, rather than to the corporations bombarding us with advertising.

Photo of Benzir Bhutto by Art es Anna

However, the problems we face over ramped consumerism pales in comparison to the events in Pakistan yesterday. Benazir Bhutto, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, died after suffering gun shots to the neck and to the chest. If you aren’t sure why that should concern you, consider that Pakistan is a Hindu-Islamic country currently in transition from a dictatorship to a democracy. Benazir Bhutto was the voice of moderation in what is a very turbulent time for her country and her people. Should I also mention that they have nuclear capabilities?

Rev. Kit Ketcham has posted an excellent article regarding her reaction to the news of Prime Minister Bhutto’s death, rightly seeing it as an attack on female authority in male dominated societies. She not only represented democracy and moderation, but equality for women and the modernizing of Pakistan. Terry Mattingly of GetReligion.org also points out the very dangerous situation which this places the United States in his article about her assassination.

So just as we finish celebrating the birth of one martyr, we mourn the death of another. This world turns in strange ways, sometimes - it’s enough to make me dizzy when I am not paying attention. While I have no control over events that take place in other countries, I do have control over what I do in my own life. Paying attention, however, allows me to glimpse how the two are connected… I just pray that I can keep my eyes open without going blind.

Photo by Sharon Mollerus

Is this yet another regular feature on The Pageless Book? Oh, yes it is. “Friday Vibes” is commentary on three or four blog posts that I feel my readers may be interested in. For this first edition of “Friday Vibes,” I have decided to get into the holiday spirit. I do not know what it is, but I no longer feel as grinch-ish. I am sure it’s just a temporary condition and I’ll be back to my old self soon - heart size and all. Until then, I’d like to point out three excellent articles concerning Christmas that fellow bloggers published this week.

The Holiday Season… How to make it Authentic

If you are like me, and despise the materialistic or commercial elements of the holiday season, then perhaps you would like to look at the article “The Holiday Season…. How to Make it Authentic.” Jennifer, from Goodness Gracious, confronts the inherent problems with Old Saint Nick and gift giving. By suggesting alternative solutions and asking her readers to think about what is truly important to their Christmas, she provides us with tools with which we can rewrite our holiday traditions.

I like this article not only because it appeals to adult sensibilities, but also to my inner child as well. Jennifer shows that Christmas does not need to be all about the gifts, yet shows how we can keep the childlike spirit of Christmas alive. All you have to do is ask what it is about Christmas that is important and down play elements that are not as important. It just takes a little imagination.

Coming Home for Christmas (after de-conversion)

Richard, from De-Conversion, wrote an excellent essay about what Christmas means from an Atheist’s point of view. “Coming Home for Christmas (after de-conversion)” evokes images and impressions of childhood, drawing a sharp comparison between the understanding of the world as an adult with the beliefs we hold as a child. His musings on the subject of Christmas are bitter-sweet, deeply personal, and not exactly what some religious folks might expect from an Atheist.

I have to admit to identifying strongly with this article. Feeling regularly at odds with this holiday myself, I appreciate how hard it is to participate in Christmas without accepting it’s full meaning. Reading this article gave me some perspective and insight into my own feelings regarding Christmas.

A Yule Ritual

Finally, I want to offer something a little bit *different* concerning the holiday season. Posted over at The Sacred Paths is a Wiccan Yule Ritual, and I urge you to take a moment to read it. I really enjoy the Wiccan take on the holidays; something about the rituals and the symbols they associate with the Solstices and Equinoxes speaks to me in a way that the Christian celebrations never have. I might even have to suggest incorporating some Wiccan elements into my own holiday celebration. If you are looking into new traditions for your family, this is a great place to start.

Photo by foundphotoslj

A Jewish man was beaten in the New York Subway yesterday for saying “Happy Chanukah” in response to a group of Christians saying “Merry Christmas.” A Muslim college student came to the man’s aid and helped fight off his attackers. You can see the Associated Press news report HERE.

It puts religion in perspective, doesn’t it? All three - Jewish, Christian, and Muslim - worship the same God, yet each group is guilty of religious hatred against the others. This is why I feel so strongly about Religious Tolerance. It pains me to hear of something like this happening.

The good news is that someone had heart enough to help this man fend off their attackers. Let not the irony that it was a Muslim man who came to his aid go unnoticed. God bless both men - and I continue to pray for religious tolerance among all religions.

Namaste.

Today I learned something fairly shocking; my employer is holding the annual Christmas Party at a church. Just about every co-worker I’ve spoken to has regarded this as a bad move on our employer’s part - and not just the non-Christians. Many of my peers say that they will not be attending this year, in part due to its location. This situation has me seriously thinking about the role spirituality plays in the workplace.

It should be obvious what is and isn’t acceptable in regards to religion in the workplace. Any employer sponsored events or causes should be sensitive to the spiritual beliefs of their employees. Holding your yearly holiday party at a church is just one example of what isn’t acceptable. Nor are donations to religious organizations being made in the company’s name, management led prayer, or office nativity scenes acceptable. Unfortunately, an employee has little recourse besides resignation, which isn’t always practical.

We cannot rely on our employers to be sensitive to our spiritual beliefs, but we can at least be sensitive to the spiritual beliefs of others. Eight hours a day, about half of the time we are awake, we spend at work. It’s unrealistic to expect employees to check their spirituality at the office door, but it is fair to expect that their religion should not interfere with their ability to work. Spiritual practices can be a great form of stress reduction, which is sorely needed in the work environment, yet can be a source of conflict if not handled appropriately. How do we go about striking a balance? Is adding a spiritual element to your work day even worth the risk?

Personally, I think spirituality in the work place is fine, as long as you keep your fellow co-workers in mind. It’s very easy to tell you what not to do, like so many other articles on this subject, but I find its more important to give you ideas of what you can do. This list is by no mean comprehensive, but it should give you a good basis from which to develop your own ideas on how to integrate your spiritual life with your work.

• Spiritual Quotes: Displaying inspirational quotes at your desk or your locker. You should focus on quotes that can be accepted by just about anyone, or quotes that focus on your relationship with the Divine. A good example of an appropriate quote. is Corinthians I 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” The quote does not have to be a religious quote, either. For example, a good number of my favorite inspirational quotes are from the written works of Albert Einstein.
• Jewelry: Christians tend not to think that wearing a holy symbol to work is that big of a deal, in western culture. Jews, Muslims, and Neo-Pagans, however, would beg to differ. While few people think twice about wearing a cross necklace, wearing any other holy symbol is a sure way to draw uncomfortable attention and questions to yourself. Wearing a holy symbol underneath your clothing is a perfectly acceptable option, but is not a perfect solution. Each person will have to decide for themselves if wearing a visible holy symbol is appropriate for their circumstance. Personally, I have found that most folks are more understanding than what you would first assume.
• Knickknacks: Worry stones, small sculptures, and other small reminders of your faith and spirituality. Sometimes, it’s the small things that wordlessly offer a pick-me-up in the middle of the day that make all the difference.
• Holy Texts: This can, in some circumstances, be difficult. As with Jewelery, this has to be decided on a case by case basis. I have found, however, that most people avoid bothering anyone else about what they are reading.
• Prayer/Meditation: While praying aloud or chanting a mantra may not be appropriate in an office setting, silent prayer or meditation often can provide much needed stress relief in the middle of the day. No one needs to know that you are in silent prayer or meditation, just be willing to put up with occasional interruptions; inevitably, they will occur.
• Blessings: If you work in customer service, you know that occasionally you will come across a customer who closes every conversation with “God Bless You.” There is nothing that anyone can say about you returning in kind. Otherwise, taking a moment to intentionally and sincerely thank your customer isn’t just a good spiritual practice, but good customer service.
• Discussion: As with several of the ideas I present here, open discussion concerning your religion or spiritual practice requires some judgment on your part. However, if you can be genuinely open to hearing about another person’s spiritual life, discussing religion can open you to a new level of camaraderie with your co-workers.

I hope this article has been informative. If you should have any other ideas of how to integrate spirituality into your work day or wish to disagree with any of the points I make, I would love to hear from you. Do you have a story regarding your spirituality in your workplace? I’d like to hear about that as well. As always - Namaste.

It’s confession time again for yours truly. This time ‘round, I’m venting about Christmas. Here’s a big surprise - I don’t like it. I haven’t looked forward to the Christmas season for a long time. It isn’t due to the religious implications of this time of year. I can handle hearing about the birth of Christ; I actually find it to be rather inspirational. No, the reason I despise Christmas is the intrusion of this holiday on every aspect of our society for a period of a month and a half.

From between Black Friday and New Years Eve, there is this unrealistic expectation that everyone should be in good cheer. We’re suppose to maintain this attitude while listening to the same repetitive music in every public venue and spending copious amounts of money on gifts. To make matters worse, everyone in the whole country is competing for the same gifts, leading to traffic jams, over worked sales clerks, irate customers, and fist fights over toys that will most likely be broken before the end of January. Even if you had managed to get your Christmas shopping done early, you still have to deal with the influx of Christmas commercials, mindless news casts covering the Christmas rush, massive decorating projects, sending out Christmas cards, and wrapping the presents for Christmas day.

Is it any wonder that there’s a Christmas Resistance Movement? Buy Nothing Day? Call me a scrooge if you must, but I think Christmas is a waste of time, money, and energy. There’s nothing spiritual about these material things and nothing special about this one day out of the year.

My wife is attempting to break me out of my funk in regarding to this holiday season. She has offered me an alternative that I’m seriously thinking about implementing; a new family tradition. This tradition would de-emphasize the importance of gift giving and reinforce Christmas as a celebration of family. That is, after all, what the story of Jesus’s birth is about; the completion of one man and one woman by the inclusion of a child. Nothing could be more special.

So I’m left with thinking about the possibilities of what this new tradition would include. It should be fairly obvious what I believe should be left out… Is it too much to ask that a spiritual holiday be about spirituality? I want to hear your ideas on what the Christmas season should be and how it could be.