Just a Little Bit...

Amidst all the studying and mental brainpower which I am generating, I cannot help but treat myself to a little rant:

Tis is the season to be jolly, and amongst the celebratory reverie of Christmas and Hannakah (or Chrismakkah, if you prefer), and any other cultural festivities (Happy Kwanza ad Feliz Navidad), all these meaningful evocations come to mind. I recently spent the holiday season celebrating Christmas with a British family, basking in cozy warm fireplaces, sipping wine, munching on roasted chesnuts, and eating the Swiss/Austrian delicacy of rosti (aka potatoe latkes), during which memories and associations spring to mind of a distant childhood surrounded by family and holiday television shows. As it is written somewhere in the Passover seder: "what is the meaning of all this, of all these rituals and customs?"

To take it one step further, what is the meaning of religion itself- what purpose does it serve? In modern times, one could instantly formulate a persuasive argument against religion. We can easily contend that religion creates more problems than it can solve. From the US's "War on Terror", to Islamist Fundamentalism, and even the Holocaust, the negative and dividing aspects of religion are readily observable.

But take it one step further- look at Darfur, Rwanda, the Bosnian massacres- atrocities that are perhaps politically rather than religiously driven. How can we not question what purpose these social, religious and political groupings serve?

Functional institutions created to preserve and protect communal and private features have evolved into highly complex mechanisms at the mercy of rational human motivations and emotional passions. The state of 'civilization' is perhaps presently deteriorating a dangerous point at which our original ends are no longer being served, to the point eat which the basic underlying human fundamental principles are no longer being preserved.

Everyday the World Health Organization tackles pervasive diseases like AIDS and Malaria, the United Nation occupies itself with the egos of individual countries, all attempting to solve problems and issues to which there is no simple solution. While individuals, institutions and communities are all governed towards an apparent self-interest they seem to have lost their place in the world.

And it is in the home, in the family, in the local community that we form our own self-concept in which we become aware of our place in the world. Our customs and traditions, religious or cultural provide the foundations for our own personal and individual identity. Completely contingent on time and space, on serendipity and circumstance, experiences are the groundwork for formation of character. But we are merely individuals in the world. Does our network of family must extend to include all human beings in the world?

All it takes is a moment of enlightenment. My host at Christmas asked me what languages I speak- I told her I spoke a bit of Hebrew. She then asked me if I was Jewish, to which I replied yes. She told me how she would invite her Jewish neighbours over for Christmas and she'd attend their Passover seders. What is most deeply enriching, deeply humbling about my first Christmas experience is their acceptance, appreciation, and most of all, respect for other cultures and religions. So while we spin our dreidels, open Christmas presents under the tree, regardless of one’s level of religious commitment, a little tolerance, a little humility, a little respect goes a long way.