Self-determination.
Cooperative work and responsibility.
Cooperative economics.
Purpose. Creativity.
Faith.
Each one of these values is represented by a candle in the kinara during the 7 days of Kwanzaa, which started December 26th.
Here, December 26th is deemed 'Boxing Day', an archaic holiday, the meaning blurred and now abused as an excuse for post Christmas Day shopping. Commerce never sleeps (and apparently is not above pimping out national holidays...). It is a shame that we rarely see Kwanzaa celebrated - or even mentioned - in my small corner of the earth. Because these qualities are so worthy of recognition and honor.
And in this era of 'the global village', maybe it's time to start learning from the sound values of others, rather than discarding them because they are not of our own devising.
Today, let us all - of our own devise - recognize the third illumination: self-determination.
It just might make the day a little more manageable.
3 comments:
I"m ashamed to admit I know almost nothing about Kwanzaa, but now thanks to you that's changed.
Boxing Day is another mystery to me. I assume either fighting or men's underwear are somehow involved?
I am with CBW~ it is all over my head. I can barely handle Christmas and New Year's only a week apart much less other holidays crammed in there!
Countess CBW: Glad I could help about Kwanzaa - I only mentioned it because I had read about it in one of my daybooks. As for Boxing Day, I would suggest reading the Great Source of All, Wikipedia. Although, I can say will a relative degree of certainty, it has to do with neither fisticuffs nor undergarments. Pity, that.
Countess TNA: Of course as soon as I posted this, the Baron mentioned all the other holidays during this period that I've insulted by not mentioning them. There is no balance, I'm discovering.
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