Freedom to Celebrate this Season
MERRY CHRISTMAS! Yes! We can say Merry Christmas. In this Nation we have the freedom to say those words. Never believe otherwise. Young people are being taught in this ‘Politically Correct’ culture that saying certain things to some people will be offensive to them so it is better to not say them at all. But is that freedom of speech? Of course it isn’t. Most level-headed logical and caring individuals are not aiming to offend anyone with a Greeting! In honesty, we do not find very many people getting angry about others greeting them during the Christmas Holiday. Only the purveyors of division and those who wish to suppress the freedom of the people, will impress this claim. PC police are everywhere. We will not allow them to take away our freedom of speech and religion. We will not fall short of being courteous to everyone in the Spirit of our Lord.
KWANZAA
We can even celebrate the African American holiday called Kwanzaa. Though not a religious holiday, Kwanzaa, established by Ron Karenga in 1966, main focus is to reconnect black Americans to their African heritage. It is very rich in its message to people of all ethnic backgrounds. Its days of observance is from December 26th to January 1st. Kwanzaa is a Swahili term meaning “first-fruits,” based on an African harvest celebration.
Mirroring the African celebration, Kwanzaa has 7 principles (one for each day): Umoja=unity, Kujichagulia=self-determination, Ujima=collective work and responsibility, Ujamaa=cooperative economics, Nia=Purpose, Kuumba=creativity, and Imani=faith All these are good things, right?
Here’s a little ‘less than’ 4 minute video about the basics of this special Jewish Celebration. Enjoy!
May the blessings of this season cause each of you to examine your faith, enrich your heritage, and engender a sense of community. The traditions of Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanzaa are intertwined in our calendar and serve to remind us that we are all, one people, under God. And May God Bless our new President, Donald Trump, the wonderful Patriots who have agreed to be part of his endeavor to right our Ship of State, and may God Bless our United States of America in 2017!
Thanks, Fred. Very encouraging to know that we as Americans have our celebrations in common. Celebrations for Hope, Peace and Unity!