Celebrating Subversively
Celebrating Subversively
Celebrating Subversively
by C. A. Matthews
With the number of holiday seasons I've experienced, you'd think by now I'd have figured a few things out. But I'm a slow learner, and some lessons in life need repeating until they're finally stuck in your head.
The holidays are not about giving presents.
The holidays are about receiving a gift.
There is a difference.
Commercialism/capitalism tells us that the holidays (whichever ones you celebrate, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, etc.) are all about buy, buy, buy! Supposedly the only way to profess your love for others is by purchasing lots of material things for them. And the more you buy, the greater your love is, or so says Wall Street and Madison Avenue.
It's an endless guilt-o-rama. Once you've climbed into that hamster wheel of consumerism, it's a difficult ride to come off of. Fortunately, some of us get thrown off the wheel--by losing our jobs, our incomes, our homes, our health, and/or our loved ones--and then we realize just how dizzying and soul-destroying that materialistic take on the holidays truly was and is. We begin to appreciate the things that last, and the pursuit of stuff is not one of them.
So, this holiday season I want to encourage you to celebrate subversively. Don't buy into anything the capitalists tell you to. Do the opposite. Give as much of your stuff away as you feel comfortable giving to others who are without and then give a little bit more. I promise it's not as bad as it sounds. Getting past your hoarding instincts can take some effort, but once you open your heart to the concept of gifting material possessions away to others, the more open you'll be to receiving the love and peace that is what the season is supposed to be about in the first place.
No, it's not a contest, and you won't "win" anything by doing so, except possibly the very necessary peace of mind gained from not equating the capitalist concept of accumulating wealth as the end-all and be-all of life. Â You will "win" by simply being able to enjoy the season without the burden of trying to outdo your neighbors in the crass commercialism and orgy of endless trips to the shopping mall.
Remember, by staying out of big public spaces you'll be less likely to catch or spread the coronavirus. And who knows? You might find yourself being gifted by others of a like mind. Thank them profusely and receive their gift in the generosity of spirit that it was given to you.
This year in particular, we all really do need to hear again the message of "Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All People."
In no culture's traditions does it say that peace and goodwill only come about by purchasing numerous consumer items that nobody really wants, needs, or can use when they're stuck on a ventilator gasping for oxygen. Nowhere does it say that destroying the planet we share and denying health care to others on the basis of an evil economic system will bring about peace and goodwill. Just the opposite.
So, relax and skip the gifts and open your heart instead. It's all hands on deck in 2021 to straighten this mess up, so let's help each other stay healthy, sane, fed and warm so we're all up for the task.
Have yourself a merry little Subversive Celebration this holiday season and a Healthy New Year. Â
Related articles to enlighten your season:
Jesus Was A Victim Of Empire
 https://truthout.org/articles/jesus-was-a-victim-of-empire-acknowledging-this-should-transform-christianity/
Dr. Cornel West interview where he talks about how Jesus stood up to the establishment (and how we should, too). "It's never the wrong time to do the right thing."
Concrete Liberation Narratives
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/socialjesus/2020/12/concrete-liberation-narratives-advent-part1/
Ads All Tell Us To Kill Our Future (Ethical Consumerism?)
https://scheerpost.com/2020/12/22/lee-camp-ads-all-tell-us-to-kill-our-future-worth-discussing/
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