I just have a few brief suggestions for those celebrating the Solstice season, particularly for those practicing atheists who have enough friends of the same outlook. I hope none of this comes off as insulting, true I'm not an atheist but I also think there's a lot to be said for the greater good of culture and the mechanics that make the world at least as beautiful and rich of a place to exist as possible, in human terms, when they are practiced correctly - completely irrespective of deity or lack thereof.
I could be wrong, atheists could already be doing this and I'd really cheer them on just in the sense that if this is becoming more common - its very hope inspiring.
Anyway, here are my three suggestions as well as a summary of why I would see them as important:
- Decorate your house with images of humanities crowning achievements - from the Pyramids of Egypt to images of Greek Law, posters of Aristotle or Socrates, representations of Cicero's Law, a good forensic reconstruction of the Colossus of Rhodes, as well as manuscripts of the earliest democracies, pictures of the greatest and most inspired art of the renaissance period whether paintings by Raphael, stonework or fresco by Michelangelo, designs by Da Vinci, pretty much anything that you find breathtaking about the human conditions and the sheer miracles of good fortune that have been embodied by either chance or just sheerly great minds that came of great genetic providence.
- Envite friends over on December 21st for eggnog, good cheer, a nice big holiday dinner where everyone brings their own dish, and take the day to meditate together on how lucky we are to be out of the jungles, focusing on the building blocks that came one by one that gave us what we have today - everything from man's early discoveries to the religious metanarratives that gave us inspiration to trade license for better living, all the way up to the development of fine arts, various forms of democracy or socialism. Watch movies that are considered to be touching works of human genius, reflect on great books written by the romantics or transcendentalists for their sheer imagery as well as narrative value in addition to their art. Doesn't have to be cramped or stuffy of course, if you merely have the decorations up and have the right movies playing on TV, feel free to small talk about absolutely anything and drift around and visit your friends; after all all we really have are the absolute marvels that we call 'human beings' which is all the more impetus for us to look out for one another's happiness where we can, admire the traits and strengths of the next person as well as their virtues where they have them, learn from them, keep them close, and honor this by making sure that Solstice Day is as much a 'real' celebrated and culturally rich holiday and is as rich in symbolism and ritual if not moreso than organized religion.
- Even plan perhaps a twelve day celebration leading up to the summer or winter solstice; one evolutionary or culture note to meditate on for each of the passing days. Exchange small gifts, have specific activities to remind people of the historical significance of these events and the greatness of their value today and what they've contributed to all of our lives.
Remember that ritual, celebration, and symbolic 'tacks' to reality are what keep bonds warm and cordial, they're a bypass on our more negative/animalistic traits as they stir something epic within us and of course make it feel like we're actually human beings with a higher civilization and it lends the feeling that there is a grand unifying spirit and healthy cultural identity rather than the sense that we're all separated, that the tears of a stranger are water, and that our base senses are the only things that aren't phony or conniving. That's one of the biggest mistakes that our culture has made to date and one that I think atheists, in the possible case that their outlook is the future of the planet, could do great good in understanding this and make a rich culture and unity with that understanding - as well as not only preserving all of the world's religions as marvels and great meta-narratives of history (something like the pre-seed for modern culture) and preserve these as vividly and accurately as possible where, afterall, one of the greatest natural evils would be allowing time to swallow some great truth or moment in human history from the collective memory of our culture.
Also, remember emotive sense of 'spirituality' that you have engrained and passed down from your forefathers is not a hoax, not something to admonish or try to ban from your thoughts processes, yes its a chemical emotion and nothing more but - its one of those few things that gives richness to life and putting it to good and practical use as say bonding glue for society and showing love, compassion, sympathy, wanting to do great things for the greater culture out of love or admiration for what the world gave you since you arrived here - its what will keep the world culture on an upward spiral. You will of course be dealing with some of the far right of many religions who have a different bend - you're already on the right track by just stopping them when they impinge on human rights, however, with a very rich culture in your hands - they'll barely have a thing to say against you; afterall you'll be promoting their civil and virtue beliefs and likely doing far better than they are at it - you'll just disagree with them on whether or not there's a God.
12 Dec 2009, 12:08 pm
