Leave it to Christians to be the most un-sane during the Christmas season. I mean, 'Jesus is THE reason for the season' so we, as Christians, should be the most sane? We have THE reason. Right?
The premise of Jesus being 'the reason for the season' is completely ridiculous. The reason for it being called a 'season' in the first place is because numerous holidays occur during this same one month-ish period.
A good question to ask, then, is why do several holidays call the time around the darkest day of the year their home? Because during the literally darkest days of the year we need non-literally light in our lives. Here comes the Jesus sermon, right? NO. I mean, sure, as a literary device it could make a nice sermon device. But just as a literary device, not as an actual reason. We do need light through fun and celebration and things to look forward to during days like these.
In the Old Testament we see that God set up different times for His people to work and also to celebrate. Holidays and festivals are very Biblical. When they occur isn't really. We aren't in the Old Testament living under the Law. The Christian church has used the principles given in the OT, of celebration, to 'create' the holiday of Christmas. Christians did this when everyone wants to have something else to do because it's so dreary outside*. So instead of celebrating pagan holidays we celebrate Christmas: Christ's birth.
The Bible is not clear regarding when Jesus was born. Sure, there are several educated guesses, and very few of those guesses put the date on the winter solstice. But, since we don't know, and the Bible doesn't feel the need (ahem, God doesn't) to actually tell us, I think we don't need be strict regarding it.
On another note, we do know when Easter is. Jesus was crucified after the week of Passover. Currently our calendars are not the same as were used at that time, but we can get fairly close. And we know it was in the spring. God seemed to want us to know this. Easter should always be celebrated then.
All this to say, don't freak out because Christmas is in December. Whatever. Also, don't freak out if people say "Happy Holidays". It IS a holiday season. More than one holiday occurs during this season, even for us Christians. I celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. If I were Canadian I'd celebrate Boxing Day. Well, maybe not...I have no idea what that is, I just know it exists.
If a someone tells me I cannot say "Merry Christmas" that is annoying, if they tell me I also can't say "Happy Hanukkah" and "Happy Kwanzaa", it's equally as annoying. But at least they are consistent. If someone tells me the only thing I CANNOT say is related to Christmas, then, yes, it is offensive. That situation is the only time we can stand up and shout that it is WRONG. None of these other reasons are reasons to shout. It just makes us look silly. I think some sanity and peace will go a long way during what we erroneously call 'our season.' No reason to overreact to issues that are not really issues at all.
So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Stay safe and warm during this cold and dark time of the year.
*This argument is fallible because in the southern hemisphere it is summer. But only 10% of the world population lives in the southern hemisphere. A better argument, would be, that most of the population lives close enough to the equator or in a climate that doesn't see drastic shifts in weather or daylight/darkness. But, the areas with the most influence culturally in both the East and West do.
**Also, I didn't footnote or link to anything to prove these points. Please people, it's all completely logical.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
I am right, I AM right
I've always known I was a bit different. Not really short bus different, but just, different. No one really seemed to see things the way I did. So, over the weekend I started taking a few personality assessment tests. Why? It had come up in conversation a few times over the past few weeks and seemed a good way to kill a holiday weekend. Also, I am helping lead my church class in a few weeks on the book "Sacred Pathways" by Gary Thomas. "Sacred Pathways" basically looks at how your personality impacts the way you best relate to and experience God.
So on the Myers Briggs I believe I am INTJ. Basically this means that I think I am right all the time; and I very often am. On the DiSC I score high D and high C (I've done this one 'officially' before.) Which also means I think I am right and very often am. On the Sacred Pathways questionairre I score very high as an Intellectual and then as an Activist and Traditionalist. Completely new to me is the Enneagram test. I think I am a 5w6. Basically that also describes a thirst for knowledge.
The moral, or one, of all this is that writing this blog is how I currently will choose to best express my personality type. I value intellectual pursuit but also value forming it into a system that makes sense. I analyze and process what I learn and create a system, value or otherwise, that makes the most sense logically and practically. I tend to not form that system until I have as much information as possible. This is why my personality type tends to be right a lot.
The tendency, though, is to not follow systems and theories already set in place. In an work organization people with my personality may not follow the rules if they don't make sense to them. But, with most organizations they do most things at least close enough to the *correct* way that my personality types can co-exist.
The thing is, also, most people do not have my personality type. As far as the Myers Briggs is concerned it seems that the high estimate have 4% of the population at INTJ and at the low about 1%. So maybe somewhere in the middle is true. And, I read, and believe it seems right, that only 25% of all females are 'T' (Thinking) so I suck at math but that means almost no females are INTJ.
When thinking about writing this blog I felt compelled because I have ideas to share. I look at the world and other theories and systemtize it all and then want to make it work. That's what INTJ's do. So, sharing my theological constructs makes me happy like nothing else. I think very few people spend the time thinking through all this stuff and forming it into some sort of organized process that makes sense. But, when most people give up and think "why?" I think "yes!" and thrive off of it. So, I might as well share the ideas. Also, I believe being a girl lends another perspective that is completely lacking in the evangelical conservative theological world.
So, good luck to all of you reading along. I hope that it can be helpful to someone.
So on the Myers Briggs I believe I am INTJ. Basically this means that I think I am right all the time; and I very often am. On the DiSC I score high D and high C (I've done this one 'officially' before.) Which also means I think I am right and very often am. On the Sacred Pathways questionairre I score very high as an Intellectual and then as an Activist and Traditionalist. Completely new to me is the Enneagram test. I think I am a 5w6. Basically that also describes a thirst for knowledge.
The moral, or one, of all this is that writing this blog is how I currently will choose to best express my personality type. I value intellectual pursuit but also value forming it into a system that makes sense. I analyze and process what I learn and create a system, value or otherwise, that makes the most sense logically and practically. I tend to not form that system until I have as much information as possible. This is why my personality type tends to be right a lot.
The tendency, though, is to not follow systems and theories already set in place. In an work organization people with my personality may not follow the rules if they don't make sense to them. But, with most organizations they do most things at least close enough to the *correct* way that my personality types can co-exist.
The thing is, also, most people do not have my personality type. As far as the Myers Briggs is concerned it seems that the high estimate have 4% of the population at INTJ and at the low about 1%. So maybe somewhere in the middle is true. And, I read, and believe it seems right, that only 25% of all females are 'T' (Thinking) so I suck at math but that means almost no females are INTJ.
When thinking about writing this blog I felt compelled because I have ideas to share. I look at the world and other theories and systemtize it all and then want to make it work. That's what INTJ's do. So, sharing my theological constructs makes me happy like nothing else. I think very few people spend the time thinking through all this stuff and forming it into some sort of organized process that makes sense. But, when most people give up and think "why?" I think "yes!" and thrive off of it. So, I might as well share the ideas. Also, I believe being a girl lends another perspective that is completely lacking in the evangelical conservative theological world.
So, good luck to all of you reading along. I hope that it can be helpful to someone.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Chivalry not dead at Best Buy
I waited in the crisp cold as Thanksgiving switched to Black Friday hoping to purchase this new laptop I am now typing with. My first thought as we pulled into the parking lot was, "Where are all the women?". Boys playing hacky sack. Guys discussing football. Men sitting in their chairs. My roommate Sparkle* and I moved into line, put our chairs down and realized we sat by another young woman. Soon the three of us were best friends, bonding through the experience.
Texting away to anyone we could think of still awake after eating their biggest meal of the year, we hoped the time would pass quickly. As the cold set in Sparkle says, "He wants to know what kind of tea we want." We joked about it, told him 'he was enough tea for us' and thought it would be left at that. He said, "No, really." And an hour later we had tea and hand warmers and Cliff bars to help make our stay better.
An hour or so before Best Buy opened the crowd started getting feisty. We lined up very orderly to begin with but at some point everyone decided to consolidate. Very quickly the coffee, chairs and tents were packed up and everyone moved into a mob instead of a line.
During this process the order of people became jumbled. This irritated, well, everyone. A group of men behind us ladies made sure they saved our spots when it took us a bit longer to pack up. When the Best Buy employees came out yelling, "Who wants a cell phone?" or "Who wants a T.V.?" these men asked us what we were in line freezing for. Several limited items needed tickets to be purchased and with the creation of the mob, it was every man for himself. With little chance the three of us women could cut through the huddle of men planning and scheming to get tickets for items they didn't want or need, the men that had just spend hours next to us made sure the girls got what they wanted. They intercepted the tickets and proudly presented them to us in one moment as they talked about how they didn't even know what they wanted when they got through the doors but were celebrating the other random tickets they scored and still held in their hands.
I left frustrated with the entitlement and consumerism I saw displayed that early freezing morning. I told myself though, that, although overall the environment was rife with ridiculousness that brings grown men to their knees, chivalry--courtesy, honesty and hot tea--still found ways to shine through.
*Her name is not Sparkle. But, 1) it makes sense if you know her real name and 2) we spent plenty of time while waiting talking about stripper names, so it seems appropriate.
Texting away to anyone we could think of still awake after eating their biggest meal of the year, we hoped the time would pass quickly. As the cold set in Sparkle says, "He wants to know what kind of tea we want." We joked about it, told him 'he was enough tea for us' and thought it would be left at that. He said, "No, really." And an hour later we had tea and hand warmers and Cliff bars to help make our stay better.
An hour or so before Best Buy opened the crowd started getting feisty. We lined up very orderly to begin with but at some point everyone decided to consolidate. Very quickly the coffee, chairs and tents were packed up and everyone moved into a mob instead of a line.
During this process the order of people became jumbled. This irritated, well, everyone. A group of men behind us ladies made sure they saved our spots when it took us a bit longer to pack up. When the Best Buy employees came out yelling, "Who wants a cell phone?" or "Who wants a T.V.?" these men asked us what we were in line freezing for. Several limited items needed tickets to be purchased and with the creation of the mob, it was every man for himself. With little chance the three of us women could cut through the huddle of men planning and scheming to get tickets for items they didn't want or need, the men that had just spend hours next to us made sure the girls got what they wanted. They intercepted the tickets and proudly presented them to us in one moment as they talked about how they didn't even know what they wanted when they got through the doors but were celebrating the other random tickets they scored and still held in their hands.
I left frustrated with the entitlement and consumerism I saw displayed that early freezing morning. I told myself though, that, although overall the environment was rife with ridiculousness that brings grown men to their knees, chivalry--courtesy, honesty and hot tea--still found ways to shine through.
*Her name is not Sparkle. But, 1) it makes sense if you know her real name and 2) we spent plenty of time while waiting talking about stripper names, so it seems appropriate.
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