Being a believer of just about all things, I have found that there are many commonalities written into each religion. I think of them as universal truths.
The “Do unto other…” was written by Confucius as “Don’t do to anyone else what you would not have them do to you”. A bit more of a negative slant but it was right 550BC and is right today.
I love the rather Stoic Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, and there are numerous rather Buddhist ideas in there.
I also rather like Daoism. It’s a metaphysical belief and ties in neatly to the druidic tree-hugging and spirit world I espouse.
All religious festivals are made up, but as I understand it, giving the newly post-pagans a Christian event to replace their previous festival made a lot of practical sense.
Over time these things change and drift somewhat, being both venerated because of age and also changed because the context around origins gets forgotten. And of course people like to pedestal stuff so it can’t be criticised or changed in a way they don’t approve of.
As for commonality among religions, mankind seems to have a need to believe something, preferably a power greater than themselves. In the older days it was probably easiest to believe in a god - now people also follow politics, thinking an individual or party has the answer. Whether that was built in by a creator God or is simply a trick of evolution we won’t know in this life. However it’s not at all surprising that similar things appear, even if the various religions run independently on different parts of the globe for millennia. Of course some religions are highly divergent too.
Oh my god, not me, it drives me CRAZY!!! It took me years to get the commune to put the lights up before the Christmas market (first weekend of December rather than middle!). I also pointed out that we didn’t need them up until end of Jan so wouldn’t have to run them longer!!! I’d rather them in November. At home I usually do the 6th of Jan but often before as I get over the clutter (my house is bad enough ).
Our village seems to have quite a number of elderly singletons and a maison de retrait, not to mention also a large rehab place. I have found that people can be quite lonely on significant holidays and might take solace in the communal events and bright lights.
There is a lovely lady who has quite a love for our dogs and tells me she seldom has visits from her son and granddaughter. The other day she said she just wanted her life to end. I will do everything I can to help her and others like her have at least a Happy Christmas.
One lovely elderly lady would visit us regularly for coffee…
She was telling me, tearfully, that she would be all alone on Christmas Day…
Surely the family will be there…
Nope
Surely they’ll collect you
Nope… not heard a word… I’ll be all alone…(tears sniffles)
Would you like us to collect you on Chrstmas morning, to share our Christmas Dinner?
(Nodding, smiles and sighs of relief…)
We had a wonderful time… fun and laughter and lots of good food. OH took her home early evening…
A couple of days later, an irate lady accosted me in the street and wanted to know why we’d “kidnapped” her mother-in-law… ooops.
Seems the family had turned up to collect her and found a note… heaven knows what it said… but the lady was not amused…
A few days later, our Christmas guest dropped by for coffee …
she explained that there’s little laughter at her family events… as if they are “putting-up” with her…
and she really wanted to be with us as we always have a good natter… plus English Christmas would be an adventure…
She shared many more events with us… but I always spoke with her family well in advance and thus we all became friends… phew.
forgive me… I was referring specifically to those French folk I know… who quite happily sing/croak… Petit Papa Noel/Vive le Vent etc… and have done since childhood…
Awww I totally go with the flow and have no issue with anyone’s choices about anything but with tongue in cheeck I have to say ‘Bah humbug’ (my DH feels like you how ever after over 20 years he’s coming around!!)
Yep… that lady was a gem… she adored our Queen (they were the same age) and she was fascinated by all things British… spoke not a word of English, but we found ways of chatting in the early days … with lots of arm waving… pantomime almost.
Gradually, I started to copy her words, with her accent, which had the locals in fits of laughter… as she was originally from the French-German border area and had never lost that local twang.
Very happy memories of that friend… she died peacefully 2 years ago… so she never achieved her wish to receive a telegram(whatever) for 100 years from the Queen. They had “swapped” correspondence in the years since I arrived on the scene to help her.
She would send birthday and Christmas greetings to HMaj every year… and was over the moon at the replies…
My wife loved Christmas. She started Christmas before I’d even woken up on the 1 st of December.
‘When are you getting the tree down then’ , Don’t forget the Decorations and lights. Got to find the cd’s for the carols.
As much as I loved that girl it drove meup the wall, but I really didn’t mind. She would be singing all the Christmas songs whilst dressing the tree and watching me put the all the colour around the room.
Not this year I’m afraid. As far as I’m concerned it’s cancelled this year, only me and the cats. No quality steak and good wine for the Eve or our favourite Peking duck for Christmas Day.
This will come to us all in time. The wine will be a good one the whiskey and cognac on the side the food will be different the memories will carry me over.
Please, don’t knock the celebration to much folks, it is just a smidgen of your time and before to long you’ll be doing the same as me . Enjoy the joy of others so that you can enjoy!
Shiba, I love chrysanthemums. The colours stunning .
The life of the flower is long lived and perhaps I’m the only one but the scent of the flowers takes me back to when I was a child. Not only would my mother grow them but also bring them indoors, sacrilege to the French ,I know, but, i believe the colours knock every other flower for six so I will do the same no matter what other people think. The beauty of nature and the skill of the grower have combined to make something stunning!
).
