Seasons Greetings 2016

Come on now folks, tis the season for all persuasions, the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

For anyone feeling the holiday blues or having a "bad day", remember this:

If I wake up and can take a deep breath and my elbows don't hit wood it's all good, as for one more day we can short death.Yesterday is past, tomorrow we know not, and today is the present or gift we got.

Here is a redux of our Holiday Greetings from years past...

If you don't have a sense of humor, you might want to stop right here. These are professional's on a closed test track, do not attempt at home. Proceed with caution, you have been advised, no offense intended.

It's that time of year when dreidels, various religious prophets and Santa make the rounds. Throughout this missive, the ascending order in which religious faiths are presented is based upon global market share. No offense intended to Bahá'í, Confucianism, Jainism, Shintoism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism and others. Much like the BCS committee said to TCU last year regarding the CFP, sorry if your team got left out, which could be like Christmastime in Hell.

To be divine?… Nobody really knows the exact day when the prophet for Christianity, Jesus Christ was born. But, its a pretty good bet he was born at the end of September. I believe there were many prophets, whose ideas have transcended cultures across the ages. Were these religious prophets of divine origin, possessed of divinely imparted wisdom or just full of… common sense? IMHO, the latter.

For Judaism (0.2%), there is Yhwh (haShem), Abraham, Moses and the Torah/Tanakh. Hannukah runs 8 days starting the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, falling In 2014, Dec 16th - 24th.

Fear not? Is there an afterlife of exaltation or torture? This is "the fear of god" which many, including Constantine (who with the Edict of Milan, legitimized the cult of Christianity while marrying Church and State) realized could be used by the state, to control the masses. I have yet to be contacted by any of the deceased. So to date I have no evidence either way. IMHO, when your gone, it's called the "Big Sleep" for a reason. Something else, might be a pleasant surprise. TBD. We will come back to "the fear" later.

For Buddhists (5.9%), there is Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), Bodhi day is December 8th.

Do unto others? IMO, the only "fear" you should have is Zamfir, master of the pan flute, and you should not need "fear" to live by the "golden rule". Aside from Leviticus (19:18) and Hillel (Shabbat 31a), in ancient Egypt the golden rule was evident in the concept of Maat. Dated first to the Middle Kingdom (2040-1650 BC), it states with simplicity "Now this is the command: Do to the doer to cause that he do thus to you."

For Hinduism (13.4%), there is Brahman, no central prophet and the Vedas. Pancha Ganapati is a modern five day Hindu festival celebrated from December 21 through 25.

A higher power or Vishnu wit you? To have a globe shaped petri dish where life could flourish took perfect sizing, positioning and timing for the Sun, Moon, Earth and Van Allen belts, not to mention other serendipitous events. What are the odds? Coincidence? A guiding hand? Ancient astronaut theorists would say, Yes! or just another Festivus miracle? No one knows for sure.

For the Irreligious or Unaffiliated 16.3% (the most rapidly growing sector) there is Agnosticism, Atheism, Paganism and Festivus which is celebrated December 23rd.

The Voice of Silence? There's usually trouble afoot when someone thinks the voices in their head are a supreme being's voice commanding them. Especially when "god needs money" or to "justify" heinous acts against others. I put these claims on par with those from a 2000 year old demonically possessed dog named Harvey. Why can't these inner voices be like the voice of silence?

For Islam (19.6%), there is Allah, Muhammed and the Qur'an. Mawlid is fixed as the 12th day of the month of Rabi I in the Islamic calendar, falling Dec. 12, 2016.

Freedom of Religion? Freedom from religious persecution is one of the tenets in the founding of the USA, where irreligious people make up 20% of the population. Yet, 55% of Americans believe that Christianity was written into the Constitution and that the founding fathers wanted One Nation Under Jesus. This includes 75% of Republicans and Evangelicals.

I don't attend a "conforming" house of worship, but believe everybody should be able to worship their own totem poll, if they so desire or NOT. There are all kinds of religious persuasions, but it's the persecution of the irreligious that disturbs me the most. I believe the body is the temple of the spirit and living everyday life to its fullest, constitutes a valid house of worship. Does this make me a bad Catholic, heretic, hedonist, nihilist or Atheist? Although some might wish me this kind or this kind of Christmas, I think not.

For Christianity (33%), there is El or Yaweh, Jesus of Nazareth and the Bible. Christmas was first celebrated on Dec 25th around the 4th century, with the twelve days running through January 6th. Orthodox Christmas is on January 7th.

But how do you really feel? Sometimes during the holidays I feel left out like this. Sometimes I think people have too much heaven on their minds. 

Timing is everything and sometimes I wonder, Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication? Don't you get me wrong, I do know this, I am what I am and I will be what I will be.

We wish you all a Happy Healthy Holiday Season and Prosperous New Year, and remember to enjoy the gift.