A Poor Player on the Season of Hibernation

Tom Loughlin:

We have traded the beauty and the deep silence of the winter season for noise and chaos. The way we celebrate the season now is the biggest indicator we have of how soulless modern culture has become. We cover this reality over with a thin and superficial pastiche of family, friends, and cozy warmth, but this mass-mediated pastiche can’t hide the deep emptiness lodged in a culture where the unending theme of buybuybuy is constantly drummed into us via every media outlet available.

Nature, however, offers us an escape, if we’re willing to take it. I call it the “hibernation effect,” since all the natural triggers that occur are ones that force us to slow down….All this slowing down offers us the opportunity for contemplation, and the chance to think thoughtfully and quietly about life and living."

I couldn’t agree more with Tom. The Spirit of Christmas is not about the economy, about acquisition, and winter presents unique opportunities for introspection, which seems to be a forgotten concept in our culture.

Read the whole thing at A Poor Player