I don't tend to post a lot during the holiday season-- chalk it up to the so-called "Christmas monster" which consumes most Westerners.
It's ironic that people of ALL faiths fall prey to this loathsome creature, asking "for a friend of a friend" what they should "hint hint" get for their spouse for Christmas. And the person in question... is Muslim.
I'm not about to say Christmas is ONLY for Christians, and that people of other faiths should eschew celebrating the holiday as they see fit. I will say that I tend to say "Happy Holidays" because many faiths and cultures celebrate holidays at this time of year, and I don't think any ONE religious observation should take precedence.
Christmas is for everyone. I see little wrong with celebrating the CULTURAL aspects of a holiday, even if you don't follow the religious ones. And for that matter, since other Abrahamic faiths like Islam do revere Jesus as much as Christianity does, is it really that big of a thing?
Yes, to some, it is. A prominent boxer, Amir Khan, was threatened this holiday season by Islamic hardliners/extremists for having the AUDACITY to put up a Christmas tree for his very young daughter.
I don't usually make New Year's resolutions because I do end up breaking them more often than not 😉. One of the last ones I meant to make was to procrastinate less, but I'm still getting around to doing that one (ha ha).
And of course, the one I always make and more often than not, break-- to be less hard on myself and more forgiving of others. In the last half of the year, I definitely struggled with the last half of that one. I let someone who DOES NOT KNOW ME get under my skin by saying something that was extremely misguided and cruel. I reacted by posting a diatribe here, and for anyone still reading, I AM SORRY FOR THAT.
Whoever this person is, I pray that they find happiness within themselves, and can learn to project positivity to the world instead of negativity. I pray they react with kindness instead of cruelty and learn better ways of dealing with people because they'll never be happy until they do so.
2018 IS a new year starting, and I pray it brings all of us peace and prosperity. You know, all those niceties on Christmas cards (which, by the way, I ALMOST NEVER SEND OUT CARDS).
2017 was, wellllllll... an interesting year. I say this both personally and more generally, as a citizen of the world.
We swore in a new POTUS here in the USA who immediately started dividing America instead of uniting it. Instead of "Making America Great Again", it led to "Making America Hate Again." Instead of reaching out to fellow countries of the world, the POTUS seemed bound and determined to alienate long standing allies, and to make enemies where none were before. Twitter wars were carried on with almost everyone he came into contact with that didn't agree with him completely and totally, which to me, as an American, is quite embarrassing. Insults were flung at a rate not seen outside of elementary school playgrounds. I don't get how this is "Making America Great Again." But then, I'm a liberal, not privy to his vast, superior intelligence (*).
I'd like to restate, for the record, that I did not vote for him, and I disagree with almost everything he's said or done since becoming the leader of this country. But still, I pray for him, because as this nation's leader, he needs God's guidance more than anything else (except for maybe having his Twitter feed taken away).
I'm optimistic for 2018, because let's face it: it couldn't be much worse than 2017 was.
*-- By the way, you can have a high IQ and still be socially and morally inept. Which is what we're seeing here.
As for the situation in Libya (as an outsider looking in)-- the slave trade is, unfortunately, thriving and problematic. Those fleeing their homes in West Africa are instead being sold for bondage. Migrants are still fleeing the country and continent, and dying in the process. There's unrest and attempts on elected officials' lives. Daesh is experiencing somewhat of a comeback due to political factions in the country not working well with one another (which is an understatement).
One positive is recovery in the oil and market (which is probably why I'm complaining less about the price of gas, LOL). And of course, the continued resilience of the Libyan people.
It's ironic that people of ALL faiths fall prey to this loathsome creature, asking "for a friend of a friend" what they should "hint hint" get for their spouse for Christmas. And the person in question... is Muslim.
I'm not about to say Christmas is ONLY for Christians, and that people of other faiths should eschew celebrating the holiday as they see fit. I will say that I tend to say "Happy Holidays" because many faiths and cultures celebrate holidays at this time of year, and I don't think any ONE religious observation should take precedence.
Christmas is for everyone. I see little wrong with celebrating the CULTURAL aspects of a holiday, even if you don't follow the religious ones. And for that matter, since other Abrahamic faiths like Islam do revere Jesus as much as Christianity does, is it really that big of a thing?
Yes, to some, it is. A prominent boxer, Amir Khan, was threatened this holiday season by Islamic hardliners/extremists for having the AUDACITY to put up a Christmas tree for his very young daughter.
I don't usually make New Year's resolutions because I do end up breaking them more often than not 😉. One of the last ones I meant to make was to procrastinate less, but I'm still getting around to doing that one (ha ha).
And of course, the one I always make and more often than not, break-- to be less hard on myself and more forgiving of others. In the last half of the year, I definitely struggled with the last half of that one. I let someone who DOES NOT KNOW ME get under my skin by saying something that was extremely misguided and cruel. I reacted by posting a diatribe here, and for anyone still reading, I AM SORRY FOR THAT.
Whoever this person is, I pray that they find happiness within themselves, and can learn to project positivity to the world instead of negativity. I pray they react with kindness instead of cruelty and learn better ways of dealing with people because they'll never be happy until they do so.
2018 IS a new year starting, and I pray it brings all of us peace and prosperity. You know, all those niceties on Christmas cards (which, by the way, I ALMOST NEVER SEND OUT CARDS).
Use this as your 2018 theme song. For reals.
2017 was, wellllllll... an interesting year. I say this both personally and more generally, as a citizen of the world.
We swore in a new POTUS here in the USA who immediately started dividing America instead of uniting it. Instead of "Making America Great Again", it led to "Making America Hate Again." Instead of reaching out to fellow countries of the world, the POTUS seemed bound and determined to alienate long standing allies, and to make enemies where none were before. Twitter wars were carried on with almost everyone he came into contact with that didn't agree with him completely and totally, which to me, as an American, is quite embarrassing. Insults were flung at a rate not seen outside of elementary school playgrounds. I don't get how this is "Making America Great Again." But then, I'm a liberal, not privy to his vast, superior intelligence (*).
I'd like to restate, for the record, that I did not vote for him, and I disagree with almost everything he's said or done since becoming the leader of this country. But still, I pray for him, because as this nation's leader, he needs God's guidance more than anything else (except for maybe having his Twitter feed taken away).
I'm optimistic for 2018, because let's face it: it couldn't be much worse than 2017 was.
*-- By the way, you can have a high IQ and still be socially and morally inept. Which is what we're seeing here.
As for the situation in Libya (as an outsider looking in)-- the slave trade is, unfortunately, thriving and problematic. Those fleeing their homes in West Africa are instead being sold for bondage. Migrants are still fleeing the country and continent, and dying in the process. There's unrest and attempts on elected officials' lives. Daesh is experiencing somewhat of a comeback due to political factions in the country not working well with one another (which is an understatement).
One positive is recovery in the oil and market (which is probably why I'm complaining less about the price of gas, LOL). And of course, the continued resilience of the Libyan people.
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