It's That Time of Year Again to Say, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or whatever you want to hear!

                                                                 Image by Satheesh Sankaran from Pixabay

 

Christmas is only a couple of days away and for some reason, I feel obligated to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, even if I don’t really know them. I have already sent my Christmas salutations to my family and close friends, so now I must do the same for my followers and anyone else who cares to receive my wishes.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not being a scrooge, but I always feel the same way during the holiday season. Christmas is a special time, with all of the decorations and holiday trappings surrounding almost every aspect of our lives. Holiday movies and television shows offer a variety of entertainment venues that tug at our hearts and emphasize “peace on earth and goodwill to men”. We are encouraged to be charitable to those of us who are less fortunate. Warm and loving feelings and gestures abound. And then it’s all over! Back to the selfish, greedy, hate-filled society that we live in.

Sometimes when I look at the decorations filling our home I can’t help but fantasize about what Christmas was like a hundred years ago. When I look at one of my favorite Christmas figurines, shown below, I wonder what it would be like to be a part of that scene. Then I realize that I wouldn’t have been accepted into that congregation back then. Hell, a hundred years later I’m still not accepted in most churches and communities. Goodwill toward men my ass! The warm feelings of my fantasies don’t last long.

 

This is December 2020 and there are a lot of people in our country suffering. Suffering physically and mentally from Covid-19. Suffering from hunger and homelessness. Suffering from hate and discrimination. Suffering because they’re not one of the privileged in our society. Unfortunately, a great deal of that suffering is unnecessary and preventable. I know many people reading this will be upset because my thoughts to them seem political. Push aside your hate and tribalism and face reality. This is not about politics. This is about being human and caring for our neighbors.

How can those very people who adorn their houses with nativity scenes, raise their voices in praise of “the newborn king” and rejoice in the celebration of the birth of Christ allow this human suffering and support those who perpetuate it? They have no right criticizing those who have materialized Christmas or who don’t celebrate it. There never was a war on Christmas. There’s just a continuing war of the poor, the middle class, minorities, and anyone who doesn't fit into the old America.

To me, Christmas would be great, if it wasn’t so fake. Poor people, suffering people, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, and the less fortunate don’t just exist during the holidays. They are with us every day of the year. We also can care for abandoned pets all year long too. There’s no reason we can’t have the Christmas spirit all year long. That’s what being a Christian is, or for that matter, that’s what a Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist is. Or if you’re not religious, that’s what a human being is.

 

So in the spirit of hope, I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Holiday, and more importantly a warm, loving season of caring.

 

 

The Pandemic May Seem Like a Dark Cloud , But I see a Silver Lining

 

                                                       Image by MarciaAnn from Pixabay 

The year 2020 has mainly been overshadowed by the Covid-19 pandemic and most people have trouble finding any bright spots.  I, for one, however, have found a few positives amongst all of the negativity.

Probably the most obvious change in our lives that was a result of the Coronavirus was wearing a face mask. After living for many years in Asia, where wearing a mask to protect yourself and others from colds and the flu is quite common, wearing a mask was no big deal. Masks also are worn to ward off the effects of air pollution in most Asian countries.

But good God, not in America! Wearing a mask was and is viewed as an attack on a man's masculinity and an abridgment of a person's freedom. After all, we all have a right to die by any means possible! Sure, we all wear seat belts and most of us refrain from drinking while driving and driving above the speed limit. But wear a mask to protect others from dying?  That's going a bit too far.

Since the start of the pandemic, I have come to the sad conclusion that a large portion of American society is either ignorant or just plain stupid. I am shocked by how idiotic some of my family and friends have been in response to the suggestions and guidance of the CDC. They have ignored the medical and public health professionals in favor of following a scientifically illiterate, narcissistic, self-centered conman who seeks only to profit from the pandemic. The world has not seen this type of fascist, evil behavior since Germany succumbed to the cult of Adolf Hitler. 

I've faithfully followed the CDC guideline about social distancing and wearing a mask, to protect myself and others. I've done this without suffering any inconveniences or loss of my civil rights.  I have noticed one benefit of wearing a mask other than preventing the spread of Covid-19.  I usually suffer from at least one nasty cold during the late summer and fall, but not this year. Even my COPD and asthma have not been as bad as in previous years. For me, the mask has been a healthy and pleasant side effect of the pandemic.

Perhaps the best thing to come of this pandemic is something that no one is talking about.  Every since the start of the pandemic with the lockdowns and school closings we have not had one mass school shooting. In the previous year, 2019, there were 45 school shootings.  But that's only part of the story. It's not really a bright spot. Unfortunately, even though there were no mass school shootings, there was an increase in mass shootings outside the school setting.  It's almost as if people can't shoot up a school they'll find someplace else to commit mass murder. 

With so many people acting like complete assholes and idiots defying the reality of the pandemic, the goodness of the majority of our citizenry goes unnoticed. So many Americans have stepped up unselfishly to assist their neighbors and strangers who have been negatively affected by the pandemic.  From helping elderly neighbors shop to collecting food and money for those who have lost their jobs, so they can feed their family, Americans have shown what it's like to be American. We have seen ordinary Americans, doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, first responders, truck drivers, grocery store workers, farmworkers, and both the young and elderly become the true heroes of this pandemic. 

Going forward I see these people as the silver lining in the dark cloud of the pandemic and the nightmare of the Trump presidency.  We have all had our complaints and bitching about minor inconveniences, but we're still alive. Some of us have lost family and friends to the Coronavirus, and some are still suffering. We owe it to those people to fight on and endure, to protect each other and defeat the virus, regardless of the selfishness of a few. Our families, our children, and our country depend on us. 

It's Not Fair, I've Been Cheated My Whole Life

 

Image by Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay

 

Okay, it's almost the end of 2020 and I'm really pissed. I've been cheated all my life and I'm not going to take it anymore!  I've had it and I'm going to do something about everyone who has cheated me out of what is rightfully mine.

First of all, I'm going to retroactively sue my parents for not leaving me an inheritance of millions of dollars.  How is one to survive on anything less?  I'll get a good lawyer.  Maybe Rudy can take up my case.  Then I am going to sue God and the hospital where I was born for allowing me to be born with asthma and allergies. I shouldn't have had to put up with all of those breathing problems!

Then there was this insult when I was in high school.  I'm going to sue my high school because they let someone else graduate as the valedictorian of my class.  It's not going to stop there.  Next, I am going to sue Harvard for not accepting me into their prestigious institution. I didn't apply, but that's not the point.  I deserved to be accepted.  They should have begged me to attend.

Perhaps the biggest indignity of my entire life is that I've had to actually work my whole life until I had to retire.  I wasn't cut out to work.  That's for losers and suckers. For my entire life, someone else took those cushy jobs that were meant for me.  Many of those who stole my dream jobs were minorities or immigrants.  It wasn't fair.

Do you realize how many times I've won the Mega Millions jackpot?  Every time I won someone changed the winning numbers and gave the money to some loser who really didn't know what to do with the money. Even when I buy scratch tickets the clerk, who sells them to me, purposely takes my ticket from the losers' bundle of tickets. Every damn time!  Even the machines that dispense lottery tickets are rigged against me.

Oh yeah. I forgot about the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. I don't know how many times I sent in my entry and followed all the rules, but to no avail.  I've sat for hours looking out my window waiting for the prize patrol to drive up to my front door.  It has to be rigged against me.  I haven't even won the Irish Sweepstakes, and I'm half Irish!

I really become angry when I see these losers driving around in beautiful red Porsche Boxters! I should be driving one! That's my car!  Just because I can't afford one doesn't mean I shouldn't have one. It's not fair.

Now that I am retired I have to live on government handouts like Social Security and my pension.  Who does that?  Where the hell is my slush fund.  People should be giving me money for no other reason than I deserve it. Maybe I should go to Deutsche Bank and take out a loan for a billion dollars. I can use my name as collateral. Or I can run for president. I hear anyone can. 

I'm psyched right now about getting everything I deserve. Now that I know that my failures have not been my fault, but someone else's, I can work to right these wrongs.  And I have that wonderful role model and benevolent human being, Donald J. Trump, to thank for enlightening me. We're not losers, are we Don?