There is nothing overtly religious in Dicken's little book, A Christmas Carol. It is a tale with a theme of redemption. It's a story that recommends human values like brotherhood, love, and charity over crass materialism. These values are universal. They are found in many faiths ,and practiced by many people who practice no particular faith at all. I don't think Dickens slighted the holiday at all when writing his story about the true spirit of Christmas without anything but passing reference to the birth of the figure at the center of the Christian religion. Delving into theology wasn't his intention. For old Scroodge redemption was not about securing a place in heaven, but realigning his attitude to those around him, making their lives better where he could, opening his heart to their needs, and finding happiness in affection, understanding, and a generous spirit.
In so many ways the story of Scroodge is even better than the story of the first Christmas as recited by Linus when Charlie Brown asks if anyone knows the true reason for Christmas. Linus quotes movingly from the second chapter of the gospel of Luke. That's a great story, but it leaves out the point Dickens makes; how does one miracle inspire a still greater miracle, the refining of a human heart.
The story of the birth of Christ as told by Luke is unique and charming. The Christian God is born in a stable, homeless at birth, to a humble family far from the centers of power .He would grow to manhood, but according to Christian theology, he was just as much God then as later in life. That's a remarkable proposal. Only the Christian God of all the gods, of all the pantheons ever imagined appears in this lowliest of forms, appears ,and is worshipped wherever there are Christians, as a helpless baby, the child of impoverished parents, in a dusty Roman backwater.
Christianity wasn't the first faith to enshrine humility as a virtue. Over the centuries it wasn't always noted for practicing it either. That we in the Western world value humility comes down to the simple story of a baby born in a manger. Our understanding of humility also owes a lot to the religion Jesus practiced while he lived on Earth, the Jewish religion of his parents. One of the best insights regarding the nature of humility comes from Brazilian Rabbi, Rabino Nilton Bonder, " Many people believe that humility is the opposite of pride, when, in fact it is a point of equilibrium. The opposite of pride is actually a lack of self esteem. A humble person is totally different from a person who cannot recognize and appreciate himself as a part of the world's marvels.".
I've never admired the level of debasement that some Christians seem to think is required of them and is taught in many of their churches. I get it that you acknowledge your distance from the deity. I understand that all of us are imperfect, and frequently fall short of the mark. I have trouble with people getting stuck on this realization and fetishizing it rather than moving on from there in a more positive direction. The tendency reminds me of the roving bands of penitents of the Middle Ages, wearing sack cloth and whipping their own backs till bleeding. Demonstrations of outlandish humility can only seem impressive to an audience that miss the point of humility in the first place.
I offer my own definition of humility. I recognize that it lacks both nuance and profundity, but it makes up for all that by being succinct. Humility is the ability to say, I screwed up. This approach affirms reality. We all screw up. We screw up all the time, and we're wrong about almost everything. Humans are the animal that assumes. We go so far as assuming that assumptions are knowledge itself. That's the worst assumption of all.
Merry Christmas Telluride. Hope it's not a humble one. There's no reason that a talent for reassessment should stop you from eating a tray of Christmas cookies, a mound of mash potatoes covered in gravy, or spending too much on presents while receiving more than you need. Glut and gluttony are part of the holiday. Some traditions are just too important to be ignored. Excess is America's contribution to the Christmas holiday. Refraining from that is un-American. Anyhow, we already have a holiday for shinning a bright light on our flaws and resolving to get all that taken care of, and it's only a week away. If you're not perfect yet, what can one more week of imperfection hurt? Tomorrow is always the best day for reformation. That's in the bible, or maybe it's in Dickens. You can Google that. My resolution for 2016, is to save you the trouble and do my own fact checking for a change.
In so many ways the story of Scroodge is even better than the story of the first Christmas as recited by Linus when Charlie Brown asks if anyone knows the true reason for Christmas. Linus quotes movingly from the second chapter of the gospel of Luke. That's a great story, but it leaves out the point Dickens makes; how does one miracle inspire a still greater miracle, the refining of a human heart.
The story of the birth of Christ as told by Luke is unique and charming. The Christian God is born in a stable, homeless at birth, to a humble family far from the centers of power .He would grow to manhood, but according to Christian theology, he was just as much God then as later in life. That's a remarkable proposal. Only the Christian God of all the gods, of all the pantheons ever imagined appears in this lowliest of forms, appears ,and is worshipped wherever there are Christians, as a helpless baby, the child of impoverished parents, in a dusty Roman backwater.
Christianity wasn't the first faith to enshrine humility as a virtue. Over the centuries it wasn't always noted for practicing it either. That we in the Western world value humility comes down to the simple story of a baby born in a manger. Our understanding of humility also owes a lot to the religion Jesus practiced while he lived on Earth, the Jewish religion of his parents. One of the best insights regarding the nature of humility comes from Brazilian Rabbi, Rabino Nilton Bonder, " Many people believe that humility is the opposite of pride, when, in fact it is a point of equilibrium. The opposite of pride is actually a lack of self esteem. A humble person is totally different from a person who cannot recognize and appreciate himself as a part of the world's marvels.".
I've never admired the level of debasement that some Christians seem to think is required of them and is taught in many of their churches. I get it that you acknowledge your distance from the deity. I understand that all of us are imperfect, and frequently fall short of the mark. I have trouble with people getting stuck on this realization and fetishizing it rather than moving on from there in a more positive direction. The tendency reminds me of the roving bands of penitents of the Middle Ages, wearing sack cloth and whipping their own backs till bleeding. Demonstrations of outlandish humility can only seem impressive to an audience that miss the point of humility in the first place.
I offer my own definition of humility. I recognize that it lacks both nuance and profundity, but it makes up for all that by being succinct. Humility is the ability to say, I screwed up. This approach affirms reality. We all screw up. We screw up all the time, and we're wrong about almost everything. Humans are the animal that assumes. We go so far as assuming that assumptions are knowledge itself. That's the worst assumption of all.
Merry Christmas Telluride. Hope it's not a humble one. There's no reason that a talent for reassessment should stop you from eating a tray of Christmas cookies, a mound of mash potatoes covered in gravy, or spending too much on presents while receiving more than you need. Glut and gluttony are part of the holiday. Some traditions are just too important to be ignored. Excess is America's contribution to the Christmas holiday. Refraining from that is un-American. Anyhow, we already have a holiday for shinning a bright light on our flaws and resolving to get all that taken care of, and it's only a week away. If you're not perfect yet, what can one more week of imperfection hurt? Tomorrow is always the best day for reformation. That's in the bible, or maybe it's in Dickens. You can Google that. My resolution for 2016, is to save you the trouble and do my own fact checking for a change.
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