Taken from Cleveland Freethinkers |
Before
I continue with the holiday season, I'd like to mention something.
With the recent passing of Neil Armstrong many people may be tempted
to create a holiday to honor him. It seems like a reasonable
proposition too. But, I don't think we should create a new holiday
for Neil Armstrong. Though he was considered a hero to not just
Americans, but all of humanity, for being the first person to step
foot on the moon. You see, there already is one. It celebrates, more
specifically, the act that made Armstrong a household name around the
globe. This holiday is called Evoloterra, and it takes place every
20th
of July. It's the anniversary of the date in 1969 when Neil Armstrong
and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. And, while Evoloterra is more
about that “one giant leap” part, naturally the “one small
step” part is inescapably involved. You just could not celebrate
the historic achievement of the first person to step onto the moon
without acknowledging the man who was that first person.
Now,
there are the “traditional” holidays and there are some secular
holidays that not many people are aware of yet. Among the
lesser-known holidays some are my suggestions and some are more
common. Christmas, for example, is often considered a very religious
holiday. It's all about Christ, right? Wrong, actually. The date,
25th
of December was celebrated by pagan Romans prior to the arrival of
the cult of early messianic Jews, the first Christians. Saturnalia
was a Roman holiday that took place in late December, and during
which it was common practice to give gifts. Indeed, the Christmas
Tree tradition is an adaptation of pagan tree-worshiping, which
predated the introduction of Christianity in various parts of Europe.
The fact is that there is much to the modern Christmas that is not
actually Christian. Why not enjoy the holiday in a secular way? It is
fair to not observe the religious aspects, and take the whole of the
holiday without the infection of faith. Much in the same way that
Thanksgiving is a secular holiday, that at one time was favored by
Christians. It need not be theirs alone, we ought not to be denied
the enjoyment, because they wish it so.
Blasphemy
Day is a lot of fun. It is also intended to raise awareness of the
problem of blasphemy laws. There are actually still nations that have
blasphemy laws, as if that were some sort of legitimate crime. The
fact that some people feel the need to criminalize the poking fun at,
or criticizing of, ideas is shameful. There are actually backward,
uncivilized people in this world and they vote, or have actual power.
So, on every 30th
of September, around the world, people are encouraged to make fun of
religions. The date is chosen to commemorate the anniversary of the
publication of the Danish newspaper cartoon that depicted Mohammad
with a turban that had a bomb on it. Blasphemy laws are against
freedom of speech and such illegitimate laws should be considered a
crime against humanity. Fifty-seven member nations of the United
Nations had proposed to make blasphemy illegal internationally.
Luckily, the General Assembly voted against the proposition. But,
many nations – Ireland, Saudi Arabia and Iran are among them –
are still uncivilized enough to have such inhumane laws against the
freedom of speech. These states have allowed Privilegism to get a
grasp on their governments, and now the people suffer for it.
One
of my favorite holidays is Nietzsche Day, on 15th
of October. This commemorates the anniversary of Friedrich
Nietzsche's birth way back in 1844, and it's to celebrate philosophy.
Nietzsche was a German philosopher, famous for saying “God
is dead. God remains dead and we have killed him.”
He was also well-known for his Ubermensch concept, the “super man”,
not the comic-book hero, but rather the idea that we can become more
than the mere men our species has long been. The idea is that when
humanity transcends the need for a deity, a mystical father, the
superstitions and spiritual pacifiers we will be evolving into our
rightful place. I usually give my family and friends gifts on this
holiday. The gifts are books by philosophers, on philosophy. It's
also good to have some philosophical discussions.
Carl
Sagan was a great promoter of public understanding of science. He was
a physicist, an astronomer and a professor at Cornell University.
Sadly the world lost him in 1996. Sagan's birthday was 9th
of November, in 1934, so on this day, the anniversary of his
birthday, I like to celebrate what I call Sagan's Day. On this
holiday I think we should watch Sagan's classic that inspired so many
young people to become scientists, Cosmos. It's entirely appropriate
to refresh our minds on science, to discuss science and to appreciate
the wonder and excitement that doing science can spark. Science
should be considered interesting by everyone. It's the only way we
can know anything with any reasonable certainty, after all. And as
Sagan said “we
are a way for the universe to know itself.”
So remember, on the 9th
of November, to go to a science museum, have some discussions with
your family and friends about science and take some time to watch
Cosmos.
I like to celebrate what I call the “Day of the Arts”
on the first weekend of each December. While I do believe in the
importance of function over form, I still appreciate the creativity
of humanity. The idea with Day of the Arts is to celebrate the
inspiration that art often elicits, the free expression of humanity
and the sharing of ideas. It is our nature to share our ideas with
the rest of humanity. It's because of this that we have come so far
from those ancient days when our ancestors lived in caves and were
just barely learning how to tame fire. I believe it is great to visit
art museums and to share gifts of art with family and friends. This
is the time to appreciate and celebrate the power and breadth of
imagination.
The
10th
of December is the Universal Day of Dignity. It is the anniversary of
the date in 1948 when the United Nations adopted the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. We ought to dedicate ourselves to the
work of promoting the recognition of and protection of human rights
around the globe. We can volunteer to help those in need, to support
activist's and join them in the cause to protect human rights.
Wherever we are, whenever we find a problem we should work to ensure
a person's dignity. But, one this day, specifically, we take the time
to reaffirm our value of, and determination to protect, dignity and
human rights. We should make sure to read the UN's Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and to make others aware of it as well.
Common
Sense Day, is the anniversary, on the 10th
of January, of Thomas Paine's publication of Common Sense in 1776. It
was this publication that really stirred the passions of the American
colonists to take up the cause of independence. Paine argued in his
pamphlet that it is the duty of the people to take responsibility for
the mutual good. So we should celebrate this event by recognizing and
inspiring our civic duty.
Darwin
Day is on the 12th
of February. It's the anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth in 1809.
To celebrate this day I like to give gifts of science. It could be
books about science, or scientific works. The gifts could also be a
telescope or a chemistry set, or some other science equipment.
Obviously, one should make sure the gift is age-appropriate, as
needed. While Sagan's Day is about the promotion of scientific
understanding, I think Darwin Day is about celebrating science
itself. After-all, science is the greatest tool humans have ever
invented. Through science we have learned so much. Because of science
we have been able to create so much good for all of humanity. The
value of science, the scientific method, and all that we've
discovered cannot be esteemed highly enough.
There
are, of course, a variety of other holidays to be enjoyed as well.
Aside from taking Christmas and enjoying it in a secular manner,
there is Thanksgiving, which started out as a religious holiday. Many
people would say that it still is, but the reality is that it's
mostly a secular holiday now. Likewise, Halloween started out as a
pagan holiday, then it was co-opted as a Christian religious holiday
and now it's a secular holiday. But, there are several other secular
holidays. New Year's Eve, of-course, and there is Martin Luther King
Day on the third Monday of January, for example. There is also
Valentines Day, which I dislike, but if one must then so be it. The
problem with it is that it's really just an exploitation of unhealthy
and archaic societal normatives regarding emotions. And, it's a
corporatist holiday, created by businesses like chocolate companies
and florists and greeting card makers, and meant to drive sales.
Ultimately though, there are plenty of holidays and reasons to
celebrate and enjoy the season. One need not give up the holiday
season when one gives up belief in superstitions and myth. So, I say
to you happy holidays and enjoy!
Copyright
©
2012, Joshua Michail
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