[quote author=Heimdallr]
Actually, the "shallowness" of events such as these provide a lot of opportunities for one to advance their social skills, which are needed in the Work. You seem to be judging these events as below you, or maybe that you are too good to go and have a good time every once in a while. I can only imagine how stunted your social skills must be, if you avoid interaction with others and hold other people in such contempt for - gasp - going to a party!!! How dare they!!
What you fail to understand is that by judging others so harshly, what you are really doing is showing your lack of understanding of many concepts of the work, mainly external consideration. The entire post you wrote is all about you, it's purely internal consideration. Their is nothing at all wrong with going out to a costume party for Halloween, or spending time with loved ones on Christmas or Valentine's Day. We all like to get gifts and feel special. It's the few times a year where we can show each other, through gifts, how much we all care about each other. Their is also the Christmas dinner that can be expressive of that.
Your post above strikes me as a cold, unemotional reaction to people and their desires to take some time to have a little fun. I don't see anything wrong with people doing that, in fact I think it's entirely necessary for people to occasionally "let their hair down" and do something for themselves. Their isn't anything "unpure" about that. Besides, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy.
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I do understand how the common humans go to these parties, and the reason I am writing these things is because this forum is supposed to be at a “higher level”(please read until the end, I can imagine the eyebrows raised). There is more to be said about this, but right now I referred to these events being celebrated those exact days every year. What I mean is that in reality any day is like the other. If you want to do good, if you want to have fun with your friends, any day is just like the other to do those things. Lúthien I saw the thread and you’re right that there are cosmic energies that are powerful at certain times, and what Laura said is true: “In many cultures, customs practiced at Christmas actually go back to pre-Christian times and involve divination: the re-starting of Time and laying the template for the future.” But people today aren’t using those energies, so the celebrations have become shallow and meaningless.
It could be different, but the world is in the awful state it is today, and by each passing year these celebrations mean less and less. The people do it because of conformity and because they follow the rules of society blindly, never thinking about their actions. I gave stuff away more times, but it was never on Christmas and most of the time not even on those people’s birthdays. I just appreciated others and did something for them regardless of the day. I understand why society is like this, but it doesn’t mean that it is right, so I point out the facts. People should not do stuff just because it is a holiday, they should do it any time. And then you would say “Well I do it on the holidays, but also many other times too, when it’s not a holiday !”. This is exactly the point, as everything should be done in a way it makes sense. There are no grey areas here, as the original purpose of all the celebrations lost its meaning so at this point is has become irrelevant.
You are right that I don’t go out, but I don’t blame you if you do. The reason why I don’t is because the other people don’t see the world as it is, they don’t recognize the issues no matter how hard you would try. They would judge things they don’t understand, and certainly you can’t offer me the argument that I judge too, because they have no idea that a 747 struck the pentagon, they have never stop to think about the timeless aspect of the universe.
I’ll put it another way. I would go out with people that recognize how meaningless going out is. This sound like a contradiction, but it’s not exactly that. It is the aspect of going it people that “think”, and with people that don’t think of you silly if you say everything what is on your mind. And just like with the holidays where a person shouldn’t do something in certain days, people should be open to each other at all times. I find it right to say all truth, everything about you instantly, immediately, the first time you meet them. But you can’t do that because they would judge you because they have a very low level of understanding. This is how the world should be, where you can tell everything to anybody without any fear of being labeled in a way or another, without being judged because of some belief. You could tell me that you murdered somebody and I wouldn’t judge you. Can you tell that you murdered somebody to anybody on the street ? Of course not. Even if you say something very personal to somebody you barely now, they would look at you funny and reply “You are too personal to me. We barely know each other. Why are you talking to me ?”. It shouldn’t be like that, and everybody should be open-minded to anything. But it isn’t, so those people and their activates are shallow because they, the ones doing it are like that.
And imagine another scenario. Somebody comes to you and asks “are you having fun ?”. and you say “I’ve been analyzing how that guy tries to get into that girls pants, but I know he’s an asshole and it would be just a one-night stand for him”. And then he or she replies “Come on, forget about, relax, let’s have some fun !”. However, at that point the other person is oblivious to one of the main evils in the world: deception, and they want to have fun, but ignore what makes the human population go downhill. You may judge me, but I say things as they are and if somebody is lying and manipulative, then I say so, no matter the setting. And at these parties, these “events” it is where people establish a “hierarchy” between one another, from the big to the small fishes. But everything is completely out of place, based on things that are actually the opposite of coming to know the real “I”. They deceive, lie about themselves, make themselves look good, control what they speak about themselves, are careful not to be to “outside” or norm, associate themselves with the “popular” or the “powerful” and many similar things.
Either way, great idea!
, because at this point, this is getting rather boring.