Reflections on New Years Day-- though a little late. . .

Reflections on New Year’s Day

Two aspects of NWD that I find interesting is the relational nature of the day—in that it is experienced across the globe at different times—and that it is largely arbitrary. These aspects make the day special and unique.

   First: the relational nature of the NWD. Most people do not seem to pay much attention to the fact that the world covers 24 time zones, for they are focused on their specific locale. Rarely is much thought given to the fact that people in other parts of the world experience the day at different times. Perhaps this is most apparent when we watch sports from the west coast and wonder why they are occurring so late in the evening though it is still “prime time” in their local area.

   New Years Day and New Years Eve then allows us to recognize this phenomenon, for we notice that places like New Zealand and Australia have already “brought in the New Year” before we even get up, and that when “the ball drops in New York City”, it is still several hours away in Los Angeles or Honolulu. In fact, these are among the last major cities to welcome the New Year. Thus for the many, New Years Day allows us to feel connected to the wider world, for like our counterparts in Asia and Europe, we are waiting our turn to greet the New Year. A sense of community even if short-lived and largely obligatory exists, for we all celebrate the arrival of a new year.   

The second issue—the arbitrariness of this date—is likewise intriguing. January the 1^st was chosen by decree from Pope Gregory, who sought to modernize the church – and by extension the calendar. Over time the world accepted the Pontiff’s new reckoning and began using the Gregorian calendar for religious as well as civil matters. Centuries have passed. So, that today even civilizations using older calendars than Europe, such as China, embraced the Gregorian calendar at least for commercial purposes. The same likewise is true for Eastern Rite Christians who unlike their Western counterparts, failed to recognize Papal authority, and kept as part of their religion the older Julian calendar. Like modern Chinese however, contemporary Old Russian Believers celebrate New Year’s Day, from a civil standpoint as January the 1^st. It has become standard.

   Yet for most people the decision to begin the New Year on January the 1^st is unknown and unimportant. Gregory could just have well placed the beginning of the New Year in March or April, when the plants and animals are reborn. Additionally for the vast majority New Years Day seems to have no religious or spiritual significance. It is a time to celebrate and reflect, but not necessarily in any dogmatic way.

   Thus January 1^st is New Years Day because years ago—and far away- a Pope decided that it would be so. As  if on cue, people throughout the world celebrate. The fact that this day begins on January 1^st, which for many is in the middle of winter (for others it is in the middle of summer), appears to have no significance.  Stores and restaurants are open. Airplanes fly. White collar professionals and students are off. The world does pause—but not stop—and celebrates without context, a day that could have been picked other than in the middle of one of the four seasons. At its core, as practiced today, New Years Day is arbitrary and ordinary. Somehow though, it still becomes special. Maybe it’s the floats.

  

 

Distractions (poem)

Distractions

 

One of the hardest things, it seems, is to focus. Life today has too many distractions. Here is something to watch. There is something to do. Everywhere is something different.

 

The mind goes off in all kinds of ways. Checking in on this, worrying about that. The task at hand moves out of the away.

 

Just one quick look that is all. Then right back to what I am want to do.

 

But, one look, like one freshly made cookie on a plate, quickly leads to another, and one more besides. And soon, the task with no aim falls away.

 

Distractions are interesting and strong. They pull away, they keep work at bay. They lead to guilt and loathing contempt; regret about work that no longer holds sway.

 

And in the end, after all is amiss, distractions leave as a vapor, removed as a gas. Nothing remains of the day they have spent, just the void of loss and the pain of regret.

Three purposes of religion

Three Purposes of Religion

 

Even though I consider myself a scholar and a scientist, religion still plays an important role in my life. Often however, there is an underlying message within popular culture that belief in God is of less importance for the intellectually endowed. Atheist critics’ mock religious devotion as something that is comical or dangerous, arguing that followers are unquestioning sycophants blindly led into false or at best irrelevant claims. Religion therefore has become relegated to the private sphere.

In answering these critics I therefore present my conviction that, far from being irrelevant, religion serves three purposes. I further argue that these are uniquely present within religion, that although each may appear as components of human philosophy and ethics, that apart from a religious framework, these components themselves become ineffective, irrelevant and potentially dangerous.

The first purpose of religion is that it fosters humility. This becomes obvious for me when I walk along a tree-lined path. I hear and see birds, flowers and trees in all their beauty and glory. Surely there must be something else out there—a Creator, if you will—of whom humans are not necessarily the only thing of value. However recognizing that we are not the center of the universe, without a belief in God, can lead, to either narcissism, where one asserts their importance, or nihilism where nothing is deemed valuable.

      This leads to the second purpose of religion, the belief that because something bigger is in charge we are not “left to decide things on our own.” In other words, the bigness of God triggers a type of humility leading not into despair, but instead by  placing   my problems within this larger context, I have hope that these concerns will also be addressed. Religion states that we are not alone, and that God works like a guide, giving directions that help us through the vastness of life.

      But not just any type of guide, but a personal and concerned guide tailor-made for our concerns and frustrations. Thus religion does not, as the critics allege, merely offer antiquated moral sayings that are either contradictory or inappropriate. Instead it is more like a spotlight that brightens the path allowing for safer travel through life’s difficulties.

The third purpose of religion is in teaching interconnectedness. Religion does not just show how small we are in the midst of the wide world (humility), nor how to guide through this vast terrain (guidance) but it also teaches us to share with others, by advocating that we are all a part of this creation and are all therefore, logically, connected. The goal then becomes not nihilism or narcissism but communitarianism. The idea is that because there is a God, we are not to be selfish or unkind, but instead helpful and supportive for others are small like us and in need of guidance.  I am sure that there is more that can be expanded, but I feel that these three characteristics simplify the necessity of religion and show that even though one is a scholar and a scientist, I can still recognize the importance of religious participation.  

I want to stay beside the pond

I want to stay beside the pond

In the grass and

Listen as the wind rushes through the trees!

The breeze is cool and

I come alive as the sun warms my bones.

 

I want to stay beside the pond

Where the birds and

Squirrels run through the grass, looking for seeds

The hunt is on and

I can see the sights of nature through my eyes.

 

I want to stay beside the pond

In the sunshine and

Feel at peace as if all is right and good.

The shadows grow and

I can hear the supper bell ringing in my mind.

 

I want to stay beside the pond

Where all is calm and

Clean, as if pollution nowhere came

And Loud was hushed away. Then

I can see the world alive and know that all is fine.

 

 

Sometimes I stare ( poem)

Sometimes I stare

Sometimes I stare off into space and into my own world

It is peaceful there. I mean no harm.

You see, life here is over-focused, over-stimulated, over- cluttered.

I do not mean to be rude. . .

But, I did not listen. You are right. I did not hear or see.

What was that you wanted me to know?

Input not received.

 

Sometimes I stare off into space

 And notice a little bug, or brightly colored leaf.

They make me happy. They bring me peace.

Even though, I know. . .

That my staring may seem out of place.

“Look!” you say,

“Over here, is the main event. The show we came to see, the game we bought tickets for.”

“You missed the play. What were you doing?”

Something alone.

 

Sometimes I stare off into space,

 And see that man with the funny hat

Or that little girl who seems sad, when everyone else is happy.

I notice things.

Not the things that everyone else is looking at,

But things nonetheless.

I mean no harm. I like this world, for it is mine.

It is safe. It is serene. It is real.

In my mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the News: Commentary

9-23-13

A professor at Columbia University was attacked and ended up in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He was not an anarchist, nor an ultra conservative “war monger”, who, in this bastion of liberal identity was confined to irrelevancy. In fact, he seems to have no political identity. Rather, he was attacked based on his appearance. Wearing a beard and a turban, 31 years old Prabjot Singh is a Sikh. He was assaulted because he was thought to be Muslim, according to the police who are categorizing this as a hate-crime. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/23/newser-sikh-attack/2854043/.
Sikhs are not Muslim. They are not even Middle Easterners, for Sikhs almost exclusively come from India. Sadly this is not the first time that such a mistake was made. According to Wikipedia: “On August 5, 2012, Wade Michael Page fatally shot six people and wounded four others in a mass shooting at a Sikh temple in OAK CREEK, WISCONSIN.[3”.

Those are the facts. Now for the commentary: As a scholar of religion and geography, I know the basic differences between Sikhs and Muslims. Yet too many Christians are unaware. The fact that these hate crimes have occurred in the United States suggests that we have failed to distinguish between Islamic and Sikhs. The world has gotten smaller—due to technology. In years past it would have been rare to meet someone of another faith.
That is not the case today. Part of what seems to distinguish Post-modernism from the past is the fact, that in America, Christian hegemony has largely vanished. There are many choices to choose from, and, in the so-called “market place of ideas”, Christians have not presented a cogent and unified message.
We as Christians need to understand what this means. If one religion group is attacked for their faith—even though they are thought to be another religious group—then any religious group can be attacked. This could have been an orthodox Christian with a full beard, who may look “Islamic”. Or it could be an unassuming Protestant wearing a cross around their neck, or on their lapel. The world has changed – and is changing—therefore we can no longer assume that as Christians we will be fine.
It seems as if the world is turning dark, as moral authority is abandoned. Thus there is a need for someone like myself who understands the religious and geographic background and implications, and can assist Christians in developing a more unified response which shows the world that we are still relevant.

Weak ( Poem)

Weak

I am weak.


A baby cries

Alone


A dog barks

Aloud,

Yet far away

Noises of the world echo through the air


I want to run

Away


Into my cave

And

Away from the cares of the world


Routines

Schedules

Ordinary yet Chaotic

An active world hustles by.


I

I want to be Alone

To go

Away

Alone


Involvement

Engagement

Happy yet Tired

The World’s demands more


Yet
I
Feel empty

Am I wrong?


The wind howls loudly

A storm nears

Time to flee
The leaves are shaking
But
I want to stay
For
Here in the wind
In the Rain
In Nature
I am Away
I am Alone

Yes

I am weak.
But I am also
Alive
And ready for more.