Tis the season to be jolly. Oh the holiday season has arrived. Children are writing their list for Santa, parents are rushing here and there to get presents, families are getting together, and the mood of the world is lighter.
This time of the year, people also start asking themselves big questions. Obviously the television and theater shows aid the public in this area. THe classics are played to get people into this mood. The classics such as: It's A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, and Jesus of Nazareth.
The underlying themes are gratitude and selfless service. Especially when we are with family during the holidays, we forget about all the craziness that happens during the rest of the year. We are grateful we are surrounded by loved ones and focus on their positive qualities.
People, at this time, also focus on selfless service. Jesus Christ is the epitome of selfless service. Everyone is in the giving mood no matter what position you may hold. Unless you're Scrooge.
The hard part is accepting that this atmosphere is quickly forgotten. Kids go back to school, parents go back to work, and the world is once again back to "normal." Everyone is busy and distracted.
For those who are sincerely seeking spiritual truth, gratitude and selfless service are constantly in the foreground, not just at holiday times. It is a struggle. Most of the world wants to go with the flow. The incessant flow of material desires and bad habits. The spiritual seeker must struggle against the flow.
When we are busy and swept away by the swift flow, then we start thinking about our time. We start thinking what are others doing for me? I'm doing so much, why aren't others working as hard as me? This is our false ego keeping us from diving deeply into a mood conducive for spiritual awareness.
So let us help each other cultivate the holiday mood, not just on Thanksgiving or Christmas, but throughout the year and in doing so we will advance together rather than alone.
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