RE: how to respond to dad's "shabbat shalom"?
January 31, 2015 at 7:18 am
(This post was last modified: January 31, 2015 at 7:44 am by Aisha.)
(January 30, 2015 at 7:17 pm)dreamsofpotato Wrote: IE. Passover is coming. They want me to attend a Passover seder. I can't do it. I can't sit back on a comfy pillow, get drunk, and sing and toast to God's intervention when there is slavery and rape and terrorism and just awful suffering in the world. To my family, it's not a big deal. They eat, they drink, they sing, and they do some rituals, but to me, well I know that the rituals represent a discretionary god who chooses when to save people and let people die, and obviously he chose to save the Jews because they are Jews. Can't do it.
I have spend quite a few christmasses with exactly these feelings. christmas being the so called holiday of peace and joy and whatnot, whilst all around the world people are suffering. It is certainly not a good time to spend eating and drinking and enjoying yourself with family. It is certainly a very hypocrite holiday, by a very hypocrite religion. (as they all are in my opinion)
But guess what? There will be people suffering, starving, dying.
There will be wars and terrorism and slavery. Of course we all hope this will end sooner than later, but the world is not going to be there for a long time to come. If you always only worry about this there is no way you can ever have fun in your life. Do what you can to make the world a better place, but this includes having fun, and celebrating.
I still celebrate christmas, the religion is completely stripped from it, even though we do celebrate with religious people as well. For me it does nothing. But I am glad to have a good meal, spend time with friends and family and decorate the house. and unwrap the gifts You can make a holiday into a thing you enjoy, your own way. Remember, this is the only life we have
