The last two weeks of December are a time to reevaluate our shared holiday ritual traditions.
Will Australians eat so much sweltering Christmas turkey that we'll once again create a kitchen-bound El Nino microclimate, or will the smelly, if enjoyable, coolness of a buffet of prawns on ice Do you prefer it? Would we pretend to love a handmade noodle necklace more than receiving the electronic plastic hunk we've been coveting all year? Should we indulge in some anti-vaccine, flat-earth old man spewing out YouTubelogy essays at the dinner table, or should we just scream “not this year, Satan” and buy a package to Bali instead? Should I make a reservation?
After a tough year, it seems like a Christmas miracle is desperately needed. One of the things I'm particular about is “Santa Claus exists!” The silver lining is the news that the far-right's annual “war on Christmas” argument (which I wrote about last year) is finally waning in popularity.
YouGov poll finds Christmas may be a political battleground for families, but also for those on a diet of Russian propaganda and Fox News, Christmas is no longer about 'forever war' has become clear. Only 23% of Americans “Happy Holidays” is the epitome of a “Great Replacement Plan” to subdue God-fearing, culturally fundamentalist Christians with more tolerant, polite, and definitely more fun to party with. They're still convinced it's a supersonic missile, but that's down from 39% just two years ago. 31% remain “undecided” but will take what they can get. It's been a tough year.
What's the reason for the change? Deliberate optimism suggests, please, baby Jesus, that concrete reality may ultimately triumph over evidenceless nonsense. Christmas isn't going anywhere. Today, Christmas trees, reindeer cakes, Santa hats and Christmas sales can be seen all over our cities, suggesting that if there was ever a war on Christmas, Christmas was won.
Although I distance myself ideologically from the far right, I have been adapting my own holiday habits this year since the health scare, my last column, and the psychologically circuit-destroying two-week vacation. Masu. And preferably with them, landscape in my brain – as the ultimate gift to yourself.
It's a gift I want to share, even with my enemies.
This Christmas I will go analog. I burned my X account over a month ago. I feel like I'm on vacation even before I break free from the dopamine hamster wheel and start munching on mince pies.
In the end, it turns out that the space that opens up when the intrusions by nefarious merchants, narcissists, and the world's relentless horrors are silenced is one in which thought, introspection, and, yes, tranquility can grow . Zen philosophy believes that engagement with the world of the senses, such as mechanical movement, performance of tasks, and awareness of the environment, is an opportunity to enlighten rhythm, flow, and interconnectedness.
So, in the spirit of both Zen and the Christmas holidays, I'm deleting my digital doom chats and seeking out esoteric sensory experiences with a bold bet on mindfulness. These are the wild things I'm going to try:
Read the book: You have to turn over a stack of paper with words printed on the pages, but with a book, you can imagine in your head what the story inside looks, feels, sounds, and even smells like. It makes you feel like you are inside the story because you have to imagine it. Apparently, the longer you do it, the more immersive it becomes.
Consumption of legacy media: It really exists professional news organization Here, a qualified person will solve for you what is happening in your community so that you can think about it properly. They will also do the fact checking for you. Some print on paper, but I admit that might be a bit of a stretch.
Being with people: By talking directly to people, you can find out what's going on with them. In fact, you can gain real-time insights about them when you visit places together. bar,restaurant, shopparks, beaches, parties, venues, even beds. And there's no need to photograph it. If the experience is meaningful, it will be remembered.
go to the movies And live performance: These are incredible group sensory deprivation entertainment experiences where the venue changes and you can focus solely on the show. And let's think about it and then talk about it!
Walking, gardening, sports, arts and crafts, cleaning: Birds are real! The tree is real! Heck, even climate change is real! And the room stinks! Art looks different when it's not on screen. the earth is round!
If human enlightenment is still possible, it may have to do with understanding observable phenomena and concrete evidence.
Becoming a digital dropout is a fundamental lifestyle choice. Dear friends, this year has been a year of anxiety. Reality won the virtual war against Christmas, but 97% of Australians still struggle to spot misinformation online. If there's one gift we all deserve, it's the choice not to be one of them.
Have a great vacation!
