Battleangel

And we bring our bare backs to your villainy. OK, it’s not a cataclysmal negative event, but it is as tedious as ever.

Is there actually a point to xmas presents? Maybe. The idea of giving and receiving is something that is quite puzzling.
We give stuff away and we get things back. And that takes us back to square one or status quo. So, what is the point? Also, most of the time, because we insist on the element of surprise, things go awry. This peculiar shifting of funds often leaves both parties dissatisfied. I.e. no one got what they wished for.
But there is one advantage that I have discovered over time. It’s comes from the “shopping rush”. Maybe it’s just because I suffer from ambivalence but I do seem to get more things done around xmas. In terms of decisions and shopping that is. It’s like you have built up this need for acquisition over the year and you let it out in the weeks before xmas. You will be forced to decide on certain things. You are just unable to process all the addional information.
And lets not forget that gifts can strengthen the bond between people as well. Even if it may be a bond of guilt and debt.

Heritage. But whose?
Cultural heritage is becoming a hot potato in these days of global thinking, travel and trade. While we seem to hold on to this last thread of our past (and most likely will never fully let go) it also proves to be one of the major hurdles on the road to a unified earth. A thorn in the side of anyone who would foolishly wish for world peace.
Anyone who actually believes there is anything Christian at work here is sadly mistaken. The name might be christmas but the connection ends there. If anything, the modern xmas can be traced back to the winter solstice. Once again our ancestors began this hullabaloo in response to shifts in the environment. End of discussion. Later belief systems just copied a winning concept.
What I mean to say is that in a way, this belongs to no one and everyone. And should we wish to change the tradition we all have the power to do so. You don’t let anyone down in doing so, quite on the contrary. Our forebearers would be honored if you remembered the reason for the event and so would I and every other natural scientist out there. And as a psychologist I would also be relieved if people made less of a fuss about xmas and what it really means. Because it doesn’t mean anything at all. Xmas in no living entity even if we treat it as if it was. It borderlines animism, which is a common flaw with out species.

What is the driving force behind the modern xmas? Commercial forces? I don’t think so. Children? No, but that is what we say if we’re asked about it.
Xmas is like any faith, tradition or religion. It provides security for wearied minds. As much as I despise traditions, I also recognize that people who are tightly bound to beliefs and deeply rooted customs generally are more at peace and even show a state of physiological stability.
So, it’s a double edged sword. Live longer and happier .. but in oblivion. It’s like a religion-lite. A brainwash that comes with the first stimuli for every child of our culture. In essence we, society, uphold traditions. This is no surprise exactly, but how does it work? How do the silent efforts of millions lead to a common heritage? Are we like a flock of birds, changing heading when the number of renegade individuals exceeds a critical number .. ?

Think about it .. what is the essence of traditions? A predictable situation that you can come back to. That you feel you are in control over. That brings order to the seeming chaos in nature.
Is it some biological imperative to “have fun” in a group and honor the norms of the group? If this is the case then social individuals would have been more likely to pass on their genes and so the ability to assimilate traditions and belief systems would have been favored. And countless generations later we keep doing it. Mainly because it is still favored even though we have long ago left the nomad life of our ancestors behind.
Maybe it is sane to keep the ball rolling. Don’t take away the only thing that people have left in a dark world.
But if one should dissect this particular tradition, it will soon become clear exactly how pointless the task is. Traditions are like the verbal skills or language of our species - they change over time. What I mean to say is that there is no archetypical language pattern for something like English or Swedish. There never was and there never will be. Over time new words and pronunciations will gradually shape the language. And the altered version will become de facto standard. You can never fully capture and document it before it is gone. It’s like a droplet of water splashing against an ocean of permutations.

It’s getting late. Maybe this is just BS. Merry xmas to all of you who still take this seriously.
:xmas: