Inside a Masonic Computer Geek
Didja ever wonder...........
Fri, January 25, 2008 - 6:33 AMWhat do you say about a culture that celebrates the date of someone's death as opposed to their birth?
What makes a culture more excited about celebrating people they have never and will never meet rather than the most important people in their daily lives?
What is it that makes us want to allow the day of our own birth, or other personally important events, pass us by unnoticed, uncelebrated, and unrevered and even an inconvenience for some when reminded making them feel obligated and sure to never enjoy the modicum of revery?
Why do we "grow out of" birthday celebrations?
Why do we not remember anniversaries?
Why do we celebrate the works of persons long dead yet seldom even say thank you to parents, grandparents or friends?
Fri, January 25, 2008 - 6:33 AM -
permalink -
4 Comments
4 Comments |
add a comment |
|
Fri, January 25, 2008 - 8:54 AM
Yeah....these type of things keep nagging me, too. The Heath Ledger thigns keeps bugging me, because he was just an ACTOR for christ's sake, not some world leader or spiritual guru. And yeah, it's sad when someone dies young, buy what about all the soldiers dying in Iraq right now? How come they get less screen time on the nightly news than some actor? grrr.....
|
|
Fri, January 25, 2008 - 9:08 AM
My answers and thoughts.....Your mileage may vary AND my answers are subject to change later.....
Q: What do you say about a culture that celebrates the date of someone's death as opposed to their birth?
Celerating Martydom OR honoring in memorium? It can be a fine line. not one I tend to read often either but then I'm surrounded by that culture but not a part of it where I live now. Q: What makes a culture more excited about celebrating people they have never and will never meet rather than the most important people in their daily lives? I respect people that do great things regardles of whether I've met them or not and I also realize that like most of us those people too have their faults. Put no man upon a pedestal. Q: What is it that makes us want to allow the day of our own birth, or other personally important events, pass us by unnoticed, uncelebrated, and unrevered and even an inconvenience for some when reminded making them feel obligated and sure to never enjoy the modicum of revery? For me it is/was someone else's obsession with particular dates that made most special date no longer meaningful to me. I do try to remember and celebrate important dates but it becomes a family thing mroe than anything else. Take into account that if it is fun it isn't a burden, if it isn't fun then it no longer seems worth the effort. Q: Why do we "grow out of" birthday celebrations? In my early life, birthday celebrations were family only. I never even attended many freind's birthdays as it was considered a family thing not a gift grubbing festival of excess. Now birthday celebrations still tend to be small family and freinds events. We grow out of them because they lose the excitement factor. Goals have been attained. I turn 5 and can go to school. I turn 10 and am in double digits. I turn 13 and am now a TEENager and can go to pg-13 movies. I turn 16 and can drive. I trun 17 and can go to NC-17 movies now. I turn 18 and can drive unrestricted and in some states drink alcohol legally. I turn 21 and can drink legally in all states in the US. I turn 30. I turn 32 (don't ask). I turn 40. The rest are just annual reminders that I'm getting older and fatter. Q: Why do we not remember anniversaries? Similar to the above reasons. They need to have significance to us to remain relevant to us. Q: Why do we celebrate the works of persons long dead yet seldom even say thank you to parents, grandparents or friends? I think the media hypes this up way beyond the truth. I've often thanked my family members for things they did for me as a child. things I didn't even know about back then. Things they do for my kids now. I know others do this too. It's much more common than some believe. |
|
Fri, January 25, 2008 - 8:15 PM
alas, i'm obviously just not as deep as many of my friends. it's lamentable......at times. but thankfully, it has some great perks. it's not that i don't give a crap about friends, neighbors and countrymen that have passed, but they're gone! so i actually DON'T usually focus on that. I LIKE my birthday, and encourage everyone to celebrate it with me! (lol-ask Tempest) I always remember my anniversary (tho not often anyone else's.) and i have actually written letters to my parents and cards to my grand parents telling them how much they mean to me.
So thank you Martinus. I realize the point of this post wasn't to go "yea me!", but that is what I got out of it. I may not be much of a thinker, but apparently some of my child like tendencies aren't so bad. :) |
|
Fri, January 25, 2008 - 9:09 PM
What do you say about a culture that celebrates the date of someone's death as opposed to their birth?
What Val said :) What makes a culture more excited about celebrating people they have never and will never meet rather than the most important people in their daily lives? Familiarity breeds contempt where as it is easier and more convenience to make a Saint out of someone, who being dead, can do no wrong and who a culture can invent for themselves.. Given the choice of going to their mums birthday party or an event to honour some dead person - I would say mum would win with almost everyone ! What is it that makes us want to allow the day of our own birth, or other personally important events, pass us by unnoticed, uncelebrated, and unrevered and even an inconvenience for some when reminded making them feel obligated and sure to never enjoy the modicum of revery? Write them down. I know the date I brought me canoe and note it. I know the day I moved from this house to another - when I got dumped, when I fell in love on first dates.. so easy with a PDA :) Why do we "grow out of" birthday celebrations? I don't know.,.. One thing for sure - we need to realise that our friends and family get a kick out of it and this might provide the spark for me to do something about this in 2008. Why do we not remember anniversaries? Again. Write them down. Why do we celebrate the works of persons long dead yet seldom even say thank you to parents, grandparents or friends? You bastard ! LOL... I value my parents greatly. They may not be saints - but they certainly made one hell of an effort - and, if I may say so myself and on the behalf of my sisters and brothers - and their children - did one hell of a job :) |
