You Don’t Exist

Men exist for the sake of one another. Teach them then or bear with them.
– Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

I’ve been wondering recently if any of us, on our own, can be completely human. First, let me clarify, because I can be more than confusing on most occasions.

There are things and people that I want to be. Characteristics and philosophies I want to embody. Those of us who are spiritually inclined adopt the idea that there is a “called” disposition we are designed to lean toward. However, while all of these things are good and honorable pursuits, can we ever achieve them all on our lonesome?

I wonder what we would consider “good” were it not for the examples of good and evil we see inside of each other? Every tiny interaction – a nod of the head, eyes met across the restaurant, an incorrectly dialed phone number, a lifelong friend – is ingrained within us and we are forever changed, no matter to what degree.

In Christianity, we say that when people get married that “the two … become one flesh.” What were they before? Two halves of one person? Two whole people living full half lives? I believe that love (romanitcally, platonically, or some kind of halvsie) can be described as a being made complete by the presence of someone else in one’s life.

The only way to be truly human is to exist in some manifestation of humanity. Specifically, community. Every culture in the world puts paramount importance on the bonds of its families, the brotherhood of its militaries, its stories and manifestations of love. Our ever-presence in each other’s lives inspire us all to be that ideal person we feel we are somewhere in our insides. What is a human without humanity? If there’s not some person or group of people in our lives that we would shed blood or tears for, we are far from ever being truly human. We ought not even say we are human, rather intersecting strands of silk in the web of humanity, crossing over and under one other – adding strength, structure, a foundation and relevance.

However much we would like to believe we define ourselves, we – in truth – ultimately define one another.

There is no you or me. Only us and we.

Filed under: Philosophy, Sociology

A Christmas List

My mom made me send her my Christmas list the other day. It was a good one, but I hadn’t realized yet that it was already time to start sending those out. Time’s really gotten away from me lately.

I decided to share with all of you not my Christmas list, but a Christmas list I have for you. The holidays are a time of shared joy with friends and family, and the all-to-easy slip into greed and materialistic miserism is one thing I think we all could say we fall prey to yearly and wish that we wouldn’t. So here’s a little sociological experiment for you.

Merry Christmas. From me to you to yourself.

1. Make all of your gifts.
   They say there’s more joy in giving than receiving, and there’s an incredible amount of truth to that. I made a couple presents for friends last year, and it was quite a fulfilling experience.
   Suggestions:
   Write someone a short story.
   Make someone a sock monkey.
   Write and direct a short film.
   Record an original song.
   Take a pottery class and give all of your creations as presents.
2. (Re)learn an instrument.
   Regardless of differences in personality, everyone loves their music. Creating music is also a thrill. You could even learn a few Christmas carols and play them for your family.
   Suggestions:
   Learn to play the harmonica.
   Pick up that dusty guitar that’s been sitting in your closet these past few years.
   Find your local music store and see if they give piano lessons.
   Look around your local thrift store for hidden musical gems.
   Go all out and learn some bagpipes. The kilt is optional but strongly encouraged.
3. Take yourself on a date.
   Statistically, Christmas is one of the loneliest times of the year, especially for those of us who have the house all to ourselves. To beat the holiday glum, dress yourself up, wear your fancy smell good, and show yourself a nice time.
   Suggestions:
   Cook yourself a nice meal.
   Go to your favorite restaurant – table for one.
   Check out that movie that you know you’ll love.
   On a warm day, pack yourself a picnic and go enjoy a nice lunch and maybe a long walk.
   Buy yourself tickets to a concert. You deserve it.
4. Go to the holiday service at a church different than your own.
   Every religion has some sort of major holiday around the time of Christmas, and they make the best of it as well. Whether you affiliate yourself with a religion or not – and no matter how devout you are – it’s good to experience the joy of just being human during the holidays. Branch out. Who knows? You might have some fun.
   Suggestions:
   Go to Christmas Eve Mass at your local Catholic church.
   Find a Jewish temple and celebrate Hanukkah one night. (You have 8 to choose from.)
   Be a Hindu for a night and celebrate the triumph of good over evil at Diwali. Just don’t wear a costume and wash your feet.
   Celebrate HumanLight with all the Humanists in Jersey.
   Or, if you can’t find any of these, you can always fall back on Festivus.
5. Volunteer
   This could actually fall under the “Make All Your Own Gifts” category, but you’re not really making anything, so here’s an entire category devoted to the giving of time to those in need over the holidays.
   Suggestions:
   Serve soup at a homeless shelter.
   Sing carols at your local nursing home.
   Be a stand-in room mother/father for at a classroom party for a child whose parent can’t make it that day.
   Help dispose of the used Christmas trees with the fellow members of your community.

Well, there you go. Happy Early Holidays.

Filed under: Clearing the Air

Read my Blog, Change the World

As indicated by the badge on my blog’s homepage, I’ve linked my blog with SocialVibe, an organization designed around the premise of getting social networks involved with charitable causes. I have, for a long time, contributed to Blood:Water Mission both financially and through talking them up in any way possible. So, naturally, they were the first group I looked for and there they were.

By clicking on the SocialVibe badge and doing “activities” on their site, you’ll be making a free donation to Blood:Water. What that means is that my blog’s sponsor, Colgate Smile, will donate a certain amount of money to Blood:Water depending on which activities you complete and how many. They’re really simple and silly activities that take no time at all, so that’s all the more reason to go ahead and click the badge and get started.

If you haven’t heard or read anything about Blood:Water Mission, I encourage you to go to their site and read about them. It’s an incredible thing they’re doing. If you are a blogger as well, get a SocialVibe badge on your blog too. There are several great charities that sponsors will donate to through your blog or social media outlet (they have myspace and facebook badges too), so get out there and make a difference.

Thanks guys. Let’s do some good.

Filed under: Causes, Culture