Oh, holy night

    As always at this time of year I have become nostolgic and thoughtful. Turning inward and pursuing different avenues of philosophies that I force to stay dormant during most of the year.
    A couple weeks ago I attended a program called Socrates Cafe. The premise is to bring up subject matter and have an open discussion/debate about the topic. Anyone and everyone can attend and/or speak up. Your comment will be questioned to help you and others see other perspectives and to open your mind to different ways of thinking.
    The last topic was that of the idea of religion. 
    There were many things said and many ideas about the pros and cons of religion--but one section stayed with me, poking at me at different odd times.
    The moderator had said that religion was the cause of so many deaths, wars and strife in the world. But somehow this archaic idea was still very much a part of life. That people still clung to this silly notion. Then proceeded to say that the state that the stories in the Bible were impossible and even ridiculous. What's the point of religion? Why do so many "leaned" people keep following a nonsensical thing?
    One girl piped in and said that it gives people a sense of hope and communion. Then the subject diverted off in another direction.
    But her statement stayed with me and I had to ponder it. 
     Then this evening I was singing some Christmas songs to my girls. One of my favorites is "Oh, Holy night." I find the melody to be poignant and the rythem soothing. And I get a chill up my spine when a really good singer(not so much me anymore. :) nails that high note toward the end and holds it.
    But, I realized that the words draw me in as well. That there is a particular section that appeals to me and I suspect to many others as well, whether they are aware of it or not. 
 

Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. 

    "A thrill of Hope a weary world rejoices...."
    Life can wear you down. Many of us feel the weight of the world on our shoulders. Stress heaps up consuming us--suffocating us. Many of us are weary. But then along comes hope.
     That girl at the Socrates Cafe was right. At least for me and my perspective. It's about hope. and faith in God and in our fellow man. Religion has been used for some pretty horrible things (when in the hands of men) but it can do some really wonderful things too. 
    I especially see this at Christmas time. People are filled with that hope and love. They care more and give more. That hope fills people and they see it in others. At Christmas time life doesn't seem to be so bleak. There is hope and a sense of community of being part of something bigger than the self. Your not just an unimportant blip on the timeline, you are important. 
    Will I blindly follow some religious figure like a sheep? I sure hope not. Do I want to feel that joy and hope? Damn straight. 
It's probably why Christmas is my favorite time of year.
    Now, I usually don't preach about religion--in fact I've been trained in my previous career working with the public to not mention any controversial things(i.e. politics,sex,sports and religion) and have adhered to that rather well for the last decade. 
    And even though religion was the catalyste to this blog, it wasn't the focus. What I was really trying to get out was the idea of hope and how it's essential to our lives. That it shouldn't matter what we use to gain acess to that hope. Even if it's religion.
    We all need to feel that. 
    If we don't have hope....well, what's the point really?
    I don't want to live without hope.
    
   In any case all. I hope you get to experience some of that Christmas spirit. And I wish you all happiness and peace.


   Merry Christmas.