What is happening to Canadians and Canadian Traditions??
Why is it our
Tradition that has been in place since the day I could remember now falling
apart? First there was the whole Christmas and everything about Christmas that
offends people. How the heck does Christmas offend people? You ask. Let’s take
a look at that first. The Christmas tree; It’s a tree in which humans decorated
in lights, tinsel, bulbs, popcorn, empty beer cans, pots and pans or whatever
else you want to decorate it with. It is not really a symbol of any Christianity
as I didn't see a big ole pine near the manger when Christ was suppose to have
been born. It was just brought in by the Christians. So what, make the tree what you want it to be,
don’t be offended by what you think it represents.
Wait, here is an exert
from Wikipedia “The custom
of the Christmas tree developed in early modern Germany with predecessors that
can be traced to the 16th and possibly the 15th, in which
“devout Christians brought decorated trees in their homes”. It acquired
popularity beyond Germany during the second half of the 19th
century. The Christmas tree has also been known as the “Yule-tree”, especially
in discussing of its folkloristic origins”
It’s a tree that is decorated. I get it! It was brought in
by “devout Christians”. I get it! Who cares it’s a tree. I am not a “devout Christian”
nor do I even believe in God, Christ or Jesus. I still love the Christmas tree.
To most like me, it is shiny, bright and tradition. It is something that looks
awfully pretty and a place I can put all the wonderful and not so wonder gifts
under. To me it is a symbol of my family as every year we find one new
decoration that we each like and hang on the tree. The Christmas tree is what
you make it out of it, in your
family. If it goes against your current religion, you do have the right not to
put up a tree. Better yet put one up and decorate it with your religious beliefs.
Hang whatever you want off it. Like IPod's, DNA strands, old records, pictures
of your pets, hair clipping from family members whatever you chose in the end
is your choice. Now if you want to hang dead bodies I would personally rethink
that as that will only end up getting you arrested and thrown in Jail. Nor would you be considered a sane person if you did this either lol. Save the hanging of dead bodies in trees for Halloween and only fake ones.
Christmas wasn't even really a christian holiday. Well OK it
was adopted by Christians as the time of Christ’s birth but really this date is
unknown. Some say Christ was born in the summer, some say fall, while some say December
25th, who cares. Some say it is a pagan ritual for winter solstice. Does it all really matter? It does to people
who are Christians but for those, like myself, it is just a time for everyone
to be happy, or at the very least pretend you’re happy.
Does Santa offend people to, a red/white suited, overweight,
long white bearded old guy who flies around giving gifts to all kids around the
world on his pulled reindeer sleigh, who only asked for a glass of milk and a
cookie at each stop? Grasping for straws aren't we?
Christmas is a time
to give gifts to those you love and gifts to those people you appreciate, showing
them you’re grateful for all they do in your life. It is also a time for family
to get together, as let’s face it we can’t always do during the rest of the
year. Spend Christmas the way you want to spend it, take a holiday, catch up on
some well deserved sleep, eat a ton of food, do what makes you feel happy just don’t
try and change it for everyone else. Christmas has become commercialized and
thrown in people’s faces but use that to your advantage as well. With Christmas
specials, discounts and even holiday packages, no sense in trying to change it because
you don’t believe in Christmas.
Now let’s take Halloween, the most dreaded time of the year,
scary right?! Hahaha really?, but it is a fun time of the year. I have never met
anyone who actually worships the devil on this day. I have never been invited
to a satanic gathering. I have however been invited to a Halloween costume
party but the scariest thing that has ever happened was getting your entire
make up ruined by bobbing for apples. Come on people. Halloween is for kid and
adults to dress up and have fun. Collect candy; wear costumes you would normally
never wear for fear of being arrested any other time of the year.
The word Halloween is a shortening of All Hallows’ Evening also
as Hallowe’en or All Hallows’ Eve, Halloween has its own origins in the ancient
Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced “sah-win”). The festival of Samhain
is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain
was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for
the dreaded winter months, The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries
between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would
come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops. Because we
all know Evil is mean and nasty and doesn’t care if you have enough to eat over
the winter months.
Halloween has evolved; it is your time to evolve with it by
giving out candy to those cute little kids. Pretend to be scared when a zombie
walks up to your door asking for candy instead of your brains. It’s when they ask for your brain then you
will need to be scared. A time to
pretend for one evening that you’re someone you’re not or they are someone they
are not. I usually pretend I am not home
(J/K). I mean who really can be offended by giving kids candy, well unless you’re one of those that will
sit on your lawn yelling at kids to get off it. How can giving candy to all
those kids really offend you? You’re just
punishing parents by hopping their kids up with enough sugar to cause a 24 hour
sleepless night for the parents. Who wouldn't find that enjoyable? Especially
for those of us that don’t have little kids anymore mauhahahahaha. Even
dentists enjoy it because after those little kids’ teeth rot they get an
increase in business.
You do not have to
partake in it but don’t make it so others can not enjoy the one night a year
that they can pretend to be someone else. Who really does it harm? Not me, not you and
not the children/adults that partake in the one night a year tradition. It is
not even originally about religion so get over yourselves. It is just a time of
year we all can be silly. Get silly with it.
Now it seems we have people who want to change the red poppy
to a white poppy because they find the red poppy glorifies wars. WTF do you mean it glorifies wars? It is
a symbol of respect for those that fought and died for our country. It is a
symbol of peace for without the remembering those that fought and died we would
not remember that is was war that gave us peace in the end. It’s a time to be
grateful to those that put themselves on the line, to give us peace, freedom
and tradition.
I can see how it
offends some non Canadians as those people were most likely at the brunt end of
the war fighting against freedom, free speech, The rights of every man, woman
and child, dictatorship and so on. I cannot see how it offends any Canadian
citizen who was born and raised in this country.
Yes, I know we have a
lot of foreigners that are now officially Canadian citizens. Do they not
realize that Canada would not be a country they would even want to come live
and be part of without the sacrifices of those that fought and died to keep
Canada free? I don’t see a lot of Canadians heading to parts of the world where
freedom is just a dream. Where you have one guy who will dictate to the country
what people have the right to say, how they have the right to live, or even if
they have the right to be alive! Oh sure, other countries (not all) look to our
armies when there in injustice in the world and need help but find our red
poppy offensive when they come to Canada. Students who think because they are
more educated believe war is un-necessary and we should forget those who fought
and died or even want the army to be disbanded because “hey, without an army we would not be able to go to war”. They are right without an army we would not be
able to go to war; we also would not be
able to defend our freedom as Canadians either. Yet, I do see a lot of foreigners
wanting into our country because they do not like what is happening in the
country they are originally from. Want to be a Canadian then follow our
traditions and laws, don’t try and make our country what your country was or
still is. If you’re in the need of your countries tradition than go back and
fight for that country instead of trying to change Canada. It is not like Canada
won’t let you celebrate your tradition don’t try and deny Canadians from
celebrating theirs.
Who really thinks that if only we had peace talks with
Hitler he would have stopped trying to take over most, if not all of Europe. He
would have stopped the mass genocides because a few elegant words made him see
the right path to take. No; only removing him from power made it stop, it took
most of the world’s help to stop him. It had to be done with armies; in return
it had to be done with force. If only one side had weapons and the other side
had words and white poppies who would have won?
So damn rights the Red Poppy means something it is not
even just a tradition it is a symbol of freedom, it is a symbol of rights, it
is a symbol of peace, and it is also a symbol of those that gave and those that
are still giving to make this country what it is today. Take that away and what
was it all for? Right now we all could be sitting with a dictatorship as a
leader, you could be hiding in fear for your religious beliefs, the color of
your skin, the color of your eyes, being killed because you want an education,
a job, a home, less taxes, better medical care as well as many other freedoms
you feel you deserve as a human being including freedom of speech.
So think before you want to change someone else’s tradition
in this country. If it doesn't end up with a firing squad on your front lawn
threatening to kill you or your family, if it doesn't force you to partake in
the events, if it is not mandatory with threats of death, is it really hurting
your religion, sense of humanity, your honor? Think before you open your damn
mouth. Use some common sense. Try and be part of your (this) country not
against it. (OK, we are not discussing any other country besides Canada here
and our own freedoms we hold dear to this country, this country alone).
Discussing the rights and wrongs of other countries is a whole other topic I am
not getting into. Show respect for all
traditions, whether they are yours or not, If
in no way shape or form does it take away an individual’s rights who does
it hurt in the end. That’s right no one!!! Again this is about common sense, something
we all should use more often than not. Respect this country and all its
tradition don’t change us because you feel offended find something you like
about our traditions and join in.
References
"...I won't let it happen. I won't... I won't let this world exist without me!"
