Be Joyful

In many ways our society has killed what Christmas is all about. We make it all about the gift giving, and card sending, and focus on all of the more commercial aspects of the holiday. In fact, for many, the pressure to buy the perfect gift for everyone makes them so miserable, that they wind up hating the whole season. What’s even sadder, is the fact that normally people only buy gifts for each other, or send cards to some people, simply out of a sense of obligation. They don’t want to give the gift, they don’t have the extra money to spend on it, and they aren’t even sure what the person really wants, so they wind up making themselves miserable over it. Gift giving is something you do because you care about the other person and want to make them happy.

The majority of this is our secular society’s fault, but not all of it. We Christians have managed to kill a bit of what the holiday is as well. It was brought up during chapel last week, that the church mostly tends to view Christmas as a birthday party. This is the day that Jesus was born. It’s an important day, but Easter and the crucifixion is the real Christian holiday. We value his death, much more than we value his life. It reminded me of how my neighbors, who live across the street (very plain people) were offended when my mother took a plate of cookies and home made candies over during the first Christmas season that we lived in this house. Their children very promptly informed her that they do not celebrate Christmas, because that keeps you from fully appreciating the more important aspects of our faith. I’m dumbfounded by that reaction to this day. Why wouldn’t you celebrate? Christmas is more than a birthday party. We aren’t just observing the birth of Christ. The fact that He was born shows God’s love for us, just as much as the fact that He died. Our God was willing to leave the Heavenly Kingdom, and join us. He lived among us, to experience what we experience, and feel what we feel. How is that not worthy of celebration?

Glory, Glory Hallelujah!

People love ya till they screw ya!

We are currently using Albert Ellis' for of cognitive-behavioral therapy in my counseling class right now. It seems to be like existentialism, just a bit more pessimistic. Needless to say, I like it. He actually rewrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic, to basically state his over all veiws of the human nature. Basically, people will always fail you, so as long as you aren't expecting anything, they won't let you down. Can you tell I've been in a bit of a mood lately? LOL

So Sweet

So for the past four weeks in my Counseling class we've been talking about existentialism and other humanistic forms of therapy. We finally had the exam on it today. Thought I was finished with it, went to my Personality class, and behold, there was the existential beast staring me down again. I considered leaving quick, before the class could start, but I fought back that urge and remained there. We discussed the theories for a half hour, and then we watched The Dead Poets Society. The film really drills the meanings of it into your head. The feelings I had when the theory was first introduced to me a month ago were reawakened.

For those of you unfamiliar with Existentialism, here's a few of the basics:
1. We are all mortal, and will all die (Yes as a Christian I am saved from death, but the point is that my earthly life will end). Someday my heart will stop beating, I will cease to breathe, and all that I know in this world will be gone. My body will be buried in the ground, my flesh and organs will decompose. Seriously, think about that for a while.
2. There is no concrete meaning to life that we will ever fully be able to comprehend in our lives (at least our earthly ones). We can give our lives their own meaning though by what we do creatively on this planet, the experiences we are blessed with, and that stance we take in facing our own fate.
3. Our lives are the products of all the decisions we've made in our lives. We always have a choice. Sometimes we make the right choices, sometimes we make the wrong ones, and sometimes we chicken out and refuse to make a choice. But we always have a choice, if in nothing else we have a choice in the attitude we take regarding our current situations, or in looking back at past events in our lives.
4. So basically, our lives are made up of what we take from life.

When you really think about it, it's all so very true. It's those things listed about that make our lives so beautiful. It reminds me of a line in the movie Troy, when Achilles says "The truth is that the gods envy us" when we really face the fact that we are mortal, and that your life can be taken from you at any moment without any warning, you just start to enjoy things more. Another good movie example for this is in Fight Club, when Brad Pitt's character messes with the convienice store clerks head, afterwards he says "Tomorrow will be the best day of that boy's life. He's breakfast will be the best that he's ever had" Any given moment could be my last. Am I making that moment count for something? Sadly, the answer is usually no. Not only that, but any moment I spend with any of my friends or family could be my last moment with them before their own lives are taken. Sit down think of this very hard for a little while, then go outside for a walk. You'll appreciate the beauty in this world so much more. You'll appreciate your loved ones so much more as well. It's like you are seeing it again for the first time. It has got me thinking so much right now. What in life am I not fully taking advantage of? Who in my life am I not appreciating to the fullest? What decisions in life am I avoiding for fear of making that wrong choice? It's almost overwhelming, yet so sweet.

The sad thing is though, while life appears so beautiful, and so sweet to my right now, it will only last for a few days, maybe even a week. Oh well, it's beautiful while it last. One last quote to leave you all with "He who has a why to live, can deal with almost any how" that quote, got Viktor Frankel through his term in a Nazi concentration camp. It kept his existential attitude in check.

Yes I'm probably being a little dramatic today, but I'm very excited over this. The zest for life has returned after a nice long absense.