Reevaluating the Holiday Spirit

Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

1731

Abstract

g your mother and father before they could reach the age of 60.Disclaimer: I know that certain people who read this writing might surmise that this perspective emanates from a Christmas Scrooge. Please understand that I share this approach as a minister, case manager, community servant, mental health practitioner, and thinker. Furthermore, it is necessary to take this time to reflect on Christmas Eve to reconsider what the “holiday spirit” means and what it implies. To do so, I will utilize and uplift the following vantage points:<ol><li>Grief is never intentional, but it is inevitable. Grief is an inescapable reality that we will all eventually experience. However, facing grief during the holiday season meets us without an invitation and advanced notice. As a result, we are left with the unwanted responsibility of coping with grief and encountering our loss. The pain of grief creates an inner crisis that has progressive development and does not happen overnight.</li><li>The holiday season is the most frequented time of the year in which those whom we love can be removed from us without further notice. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6826a5.htm"></a><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6826a5.htm">Data from a 2017 study by the Center for Disease Control</a> relays that most deaths occur during December, January, and February due to numerous reasons. Many of those transitioning are our mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, close friends, companions, and individuals whom we deem a special place in our lives. While we never know when the dearest members of our circle will transition, we must be sensitive to this reality.</li>

Options

<li>Seasonal cheer is emotionally misleading and actively hypocritical. Oftentimes, the way people act during November and December does not remain consistent throughout the year. Homelessness is on the rise nationally, inflation is causing more people to work harder to grow their income, and political games continue to decrease the reach of power with the governed. Suffice it to say, that seasonal cheer does not solve the immense problems that the disenfranchised are forced to deal with.</li><li>Authentic compassion cannot be temporary, but it is persistent. Our compassion must not be constrained to a celebratory holiday. Joy is not a seasonal or situational virtue, but happiness is. Rather than sustaining a holiday spirit, let us make hope, joy, peace and love a part of a regular practice. Authentic compassion is not limited to context, but it expands our conscience. Furthermore, the virtue of compassion must influence our commitment and conscience.</li><li>Part of re-evaluating the holiday spirit lies in analyzing the interest of capitalism. Unfortunately, retail sales and business promotions have overshadowed the true meaning of the beloved community during this holiday season. Capitalism removes the focus from people and shifts it toward products. The holiday spirit is subjective, but persistent transparency beyond this season transforms lives with a purpose.</li></ol>Let’s aim to spread compassion to establish companionship so that we can generate a difference in our world. The holiday spirit is not enough to heal and resolve the sharp pain of grief that lingers in those of us who are still hurting in this season. Shalom!</article></body>

Bridging a Discourse on Grief & Compassion

The annual Advent season is winding down. Today is Christmas Eve, which indicates the onset of the grandest occasion in which people travel all over the world, for Christmas Day. Many of us will excitedly open and unwrap gifts on the Amazon Christmas wishlist, and sit around a decorated table in our homes over an extensive feast loaded with carbohydrates, delectable sweets, and savory dishes. The holiday spirit is indeed among us.

For some, including myself, this is not the most wonderful time of the year. No amount of grief counseling, Christmas caroling, and holiday gift exchanges is enough to substitute for the deep void that we internally feel. I must admit that the phrase “holiday spirit” has changed for me within the span of the last seven years. First, I lost both of my biological parents to long-term health challenges with no support or love shown by family members who should have cared but did not express such. Second, the holiday season assumes a new meaning when all you can remember while contemplating the birth of Jesus Christ is the pain and anguish of losing your mother and father before they could reach the age of 60.

Disclaimer: I know that certain people who read this writing might surmise that this perspective emanates from a Christmas Scrooge. Please understand that I share this approach as a minister, case manager, community servant, mental health practitioner, and thinker. Furthermore, it is necessary to take this time to reflect on Christmas Eve to reconsider what the “holiday spirit” means and what it implies. To do so, I will utilize and uplift the following vantage points:

Grief is never intentional, but it is inevitable. Grief is an inescapable reality that we will all eventually experience. However, facing grief during the holiday season meets us without an invitation and advanced notice. As a result, we are left with the unwanted responsibility of coping with grief and encountering our loss. The pain of grief creates an inner crisis that has progressive development and does not happen overnight.

The holiday season is the most frequented time of the year in which those whom we love can be removed from us without further notice. Data from a 2017 study by the Center for Disease Control relays that most deaths occur during December, January, and February due to numerous reasons. Many of those transitioning are our mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, close friends, companions, and individuals whom we deem a special place in our lives. While we never know when the dearest members of our circle will transition, we must be sensitive to this reality.

Seasonal cheer is emotionally misleading and actively hypocritical. Oftentimes, the way people act during November and December does not remain consistent throughout the year. Homelessness is on the rise nationally, inflation is causing more people to work harder to grow their income, and political games continue to decrease the reach of power with the governed. Suffice it to say, that seasonal cheer does not solve the immense problems that the disenfranchised are forced to deal with.

Authentic compassion cannot be temporary, but it is persistent. Our compassion must not be constrained to a celebratory holiday. Joy is not a seasonal or situational virtue, but happiness is. Rather than sustaining a holiday spirit, let us make hope, joy, peace and love a part of a regular practice. Authentic compassion is not limited to context, but it expands our conscience. Furthermore, the virtue of compassion must influence our commitment and conscience.

Part of re-evaluating the holiday spirit lies in analyzing the interest of capitalism. Unfortunately, retail sales and business promotions have overshadowed the true meaning of the beloved community during this holiday season. Capitalism removes the focus from people and shifts it toward products. The holiday spirit is subjective, but persistent transparency beyond this season transforms lives with a purpose.

Let’s aim to spread compassion to establish companionship so that we can generate a difference in our world. The holiday spirit is not enough to heal and resolve the sharp pain of grief that lingers in those of us who are still hurting in this season. Shalom!