Christmas is the most ridiculous holiday Americans celebrate.
Every December, across the United States, herds of consumers frazzle themselves with all-night shopping and brutal brawls, all to save a dime on gifts that will probably be returned or re-gifted.
The act of reciprocity goes back thousands of years.
Many cultures give and receive gifts as a way of building relationships amongst their village, tribe, etc.
Christmas takes this peaceful tradition to a level of obsession and violence that extracts the enjoyment.
To be honest, my family has always exchanged simple gifts to keep the holiday focused on what it is truly about, which severely irritates me in and of itself.
All of this hoopla arises to commemorate the birth of a 2,000-year-old baby.
Whether you believe in this character or not, we can all agree that his contributions to society are outdated.
I am shocked that we don’t get more seasonally stimulated by recent altruist’s like Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela or Mahatma Gandhi.
Arbor Day is a sweet, simple holiday where we pay tribute to the beings that give us life by planting their saplings and continuing the cycle of life.
Think about it, you have your reciprocity: tribute to something that gives us life. And, just like Christmas, there are trees.
Only in this case we are planting them not chopping them down.
Realistically I do not see a future for Arbor Day as a mainstream, commercialized holiday-which is probably a good thing.
All I ask is that people, this December, take a step back and truly put into perspective what has got them all a tizzy.
Maybe this year we can spend more time giving and less time taking.