Merry Christmas To All

In an earlier post I've discussed how the use of language can highly depend on the mind behind the language. If the mind is selfish, even a beautiful word like love can be used selfishly. I find the same goes for holidays.

When I was first introduced to Christmas traditions as a new immigrant, I was in my youth. My first impression was that it was a very materialistic occasion. As someone who was not well off, the gift-giving tradition and the peer pressure to return favours only brought me anguish, and so, I grew to resent the holiday.

Now I can see it was ultimately my fault. My mind was full of darkness. I did not see giving as a sincere act, but rather the product of pressure or to avoid being shamed. This warped reality may be true for some, but not all. My mind refused to see the sincere compassion that I was surrounded by.

Strangely, now that I've seen a glimpse of the universal truth of compassion, I see the holiday vastly differently. Outwardly, nothing really changed. People still give gifts, and stores are still crowded. But now I don't see materialism, I see people's willingness to sacrifice their comfort, making time out of their increasingly busy lives so that they can show their loved ones that they care. That is a beautiful thing that should be celebrated. Now, this holiday brings me joy despite being an outsider to the tradition.

So, you see, when I viewed the holiday with a corrupted mind, full of fear and anxiety, the holiday too became corrupt.

When my mind became pristine, cleansed of selfhood, so did the holiday.

Every day we have the choice to view the world with a corrupted mind, or a pristine one. 

I hope we can find the resolve to make the right choice.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

May all be happy.