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Yule log
10 years ago
A Ravens Writing Desk
Well, it is here, the winter solstice, the reason for the season. It doesn't matter your faith, or what you call it, it is tonight that all of our holidays this month exist. And I know I may get some hate from people because I'm saying this, but I'm not trying to discredit anyone's belief or hurt anyone. Thousands of years ago this was a pagan holiday, it marked the longest, coldest night of the year, and they would pray to sun gods to bring warmth back to the earth and to gods of the earth and grain to bring life back to the crops. There is some controversy over Christmas that has arose over the years as well, there are Christian historians that found that Jesus was actually born in the summer months because that is when the tax season was for the people of that time. I know of some people that believe that the Christians moved the date to Christmas to undermine the pagan holiday, and Christians will argue against it. But it is my belief that it was moved for a different reason. Christmas is a time of hope, it takes place after Yule because of the hope and joy there is in making it thru the winter and I think that anything that brings hope is a good thing, no matter what we believe.
With the world we live in now we loose sight of that, we think of gifts, we argue and bicker, we have people of every faith fighting with each other, we fake a smile that we should have been using all year, and we only show love and compassion to our fellow man because we think it is expected of us. Take the Starbucks cups for example, we are so afraid of offending someone that they took all symbols the season off of them, when we shouldn't be offended. If a pagan wishes me a blessed Yule, I thank them. If I am wished a merry Christmas, I thank them. If I am wished a happy Hanukkah, I thank them. Even if an atheist just wishes me a good day, I thank them.
The fact is that this season, this very night, is about returning life to the land. If you were to go back in time to before Christmas, to before Hanukkah, to before Yule, it was a dark time. Many people didn't live thru the winter, this was a season of death, it was feared, and prepared for everyday of the year. And so people found faith, and they asked their Gods or God for hope, and they found it. Today we have houses, electricity, food that we can access easily. We have warmth and love in our lives, but not everyone does. There are people that live in the cold and tonight is the longest night of their lives, not just the year. We need to stop bickering, we need to stop whining, and we need to start showing each other love and compassion, because no matter what you believe in, that is never the wrong thing to do.
So, on the eve of the winter solstice, I want to say I love you to everyone, not just those that believe what I do. I wish everyone a safe holiday, no matter what it is. And I want to live thru this night knowing that we as a species have made it thru the darkest part of the year together. Take down your walls of faith, but keep true to your faith, give goodwill towards man, no matter who he is, and treat everyone how you want them to treat you, even if they don't, because that is what this time is all about. Imagine, if we could all get along everyday, we wouldn't have the nonsense and drama of arguing on the Internet, and we may yet see a time where your beliefs and the beliefs of others wouldn't be used to hurt each other. A complement is a complement, and an insult an insult, be thankful you are alive.
I will end this by telling you all something my brother Paul told me once when we were children. I thought I was a terrible person, that I was evil and spiteful, because I couldn't understand their emotions and I would say things that hurt them without realizing. So I asked him one day if he thought I was evil. He thought for a moment and then smiled at me. He said "I believed a good person does things to try to make someone else smile and feel happy or joyful, and that an evil person does things to try to make some one frown and feel anger or sadness. I think you try to make people happy, even if it doesn't work, so that makes you a good person." Those words have stuck with me my whole life, and the will stay with me forever. It is so simple, and I think they are words that we should all live by everyday.
I love you all.
With the world we live in now we loose sight of that, we think of gifts, we argue and bicker, we have people of every faith fighting with each other, we fake a smile that we should have been using all year, and we only show love and compassion to our fellow man because we think it is expected of us. Take the Starbucks cups for example, we are so afraid of offending someone that they took all symbols the season off of them, when we shouldn't be offended. If a pagan wishes me a blessed Yule, I thank them. If I am wished a merry Christmas, I thank them. If I am wished a happy Hanukkah, I thank them. Even if an atheist just wishes me a good day, I thank them.
The fact is that this season, this very night, is about returning life to the land. If you were to go back in time to before Christmas, to before Hanukkah, to before Yule, it was a dark time. Many people didn't live thru the winter, this was a season of death, it was feared, and prepared for everyday of the year. And so people found faith, and they asked their Gods or God for hope, and they found it. Today we have houses, electricity, food that we can access easily. We have warmth and love in our lives, but not everyone does. There are people that live in the cold and tonight is the longest night of their lives, not just the year. We need to stop bickering, we need to stop whining, and we need to start showing each other love and compassion, because no matter what you believe in, that is never the wrong thing to do.
So, on the eve of the winter solstice, I want to say I love you to everyone, not just those that believe what I do. I wish everyone a safe holiday, no matter what it is. And I want to live thru this night knowing that we as a species have made it thru the darkest part of the year together. Take down your walls of faith, but keep true to your faith, give goodwill towards man, no matter who he is, and treat everyone how you want them to treat you, even if they don't, because that is what this time is all about. Imagine, if we could all get along everyday, we wouldn't have the nonsense and drama of arguing on the Internet, and we may yet see a time where your beliefs and the beliefs of others wouldn't be used to hurt each other. A complement is a complement, and an insult an insult, be thankful you are alive.
I will end this by telling you all something my brother Paul told me once when we were children. I thought I was a terrible person, that I was evil and spiteful, because I couldn't understand their emotions and I would say things that hurt them without realizing. So I asked him one day if he thought I was evil. He thought for a moment and then smiled at me. He said "I believed a good person does things to try to make someone else smile and feel happy or joyful, and that an evil person does things to try to make some one frown and feel anger or sadness. I think you try to make people happy, even if it doesn't work, so that makes you a good person." Those words have stuck with me my whole life, and the will stay with me forever. It is so simple, and I think they are words that we should all live by everyday.
I love you all.
