The Crusader Newspaper Group

A VERY SPECIAL HOLIDAY SEASON

There is an old, humorous Christmas song that starts with “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!” We can laugh at this, but the fact is that our desires for this season are as varied as the humanity experiencing it. This season has something for almost everyone; a number of religious or secular systems have their own way of observing it.

This is a very special time of year; Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ; Jewish people observe Hannukah; Wiccans observe the Winter Solstice; there is an African American holiday, Kwanzaa, celebrated by African Americans, and there are other groups who consider this time of year to be special. This is why it has become expedient for many to wish others “Happy Holidays” instead of focusing on a particular tradition.

With that said, children look forward to the Christmas holidays as a time to be rewarded for good behavior during the past year. They expect a mythological Santa Claus to bring them their heart’s desire. There are people, however, who think that it is counterproductive to allow our youth to look forward to a stranger providing things that their parents are actually providing.

Others, however, think that the world of make-believe has its benefits; it can infuse an individual’s psyche with the idea that their dreams and wishes can come true if a certain behavior is embraced; if a child is encouraged to exhibit the best of their character in order to reach these goals, then the sacrifice of allowing a belief in Santa Claus is worth it.

The one thing that almost all of this season’s observances possess is the focus on positive human behavior.

Though it is true that we should be cognizant of being decent people all year round, we can be grateful that many people do take the time out to help ensure that those who are less materially fortunate are able to have a decent meal, clothing, shelter and more during this season. In other words, this is a time of year when altruism is at an all-time high. And even though we would like people to experience this type of good fortune all year long, we can be grateful that these benevolent behaviors happen at all.

African Americans have the opportunity to celebrate both Christmas AND Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is a relatively new holiday, created by Maulana Ron Karenga, Professor of Africana Studies, in 1966, and basically means “First Fruits.”

It is comprised of the Nguzo Saba, Seven Principles, that are thought to enhance the quality of life of Black people if they are embraced. They are observed for seven days starting the day after Christmas and continue through to January 1.

The Nguzo Saba are: Umoja – Unity; Kujichagulia – Self-Determination; Ujima – Work and Responsibility; Ujamaa – Cooperative Economics; Nia – Purpose; Kuumba – Creativity; Imani – Faith. There is no doubt that if these principles are followed, not just during this season, but throughout the year, the African American community would greatly benefit!

Finally, when looking at the state of the world today, there is no doubt that we are in crisis. Climate change, a triple pandemic; rising community violence along with multiple mass shootings; wars and rumors of wars; man’s extreme inhumanity to man; a rise in racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, economic violence with rising inflation; political corruption; increasing homelessness; poverty; famine; and many more ills are plaguing our planet at this time.

Because of the foregoing problems, it would behoove us as a human species to seriously attempt to address these issues on a collective basis. We are one humanity, though there are different points of origin, and because of this, common sense dictates that we will all suffer from the problems facing humanity if we don’t work together.

In order to do this, we must face certain inescapable realities.

These are the following: we will not be able to escape the fate that plagues us all as long as we remain on the planet. What goes around, comes around; we can’t expect peace if we constantly embrace war; we must do unto others as we expect others to do unto us.

Because of this last point, it would be futile for African Americans to expect an end to bigotry and discrimination without eliminating all such behavior within our ranks. As long as we are in the land of inhumanity among ourselves, we will not be able to escape it from the broader population, from the behavior of others towards us. These are things that would be nice for us to consider during this very special season!

Happy Holidays: A Luta Continua.

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