The first day I was trekking through the Himalayas with my Sherpa headed toward Everest Base Camp the question of religion came up. He asked me if I was a Christian, that would be the religion I would have identified most with, but by that time in my life, I was not sure what religion I was. Although I do believe in a greater force, I choose to call it “the universe". I would regard myself as more spiritual than religious. I thought about the question and reasoned that I was not a believer in Christ as such, despite 12 years of Catholic education. I simply said, “I believe in being a good person,” to this he replied, “Yes, me too.”
The values that Christmas embodies are the values that all humans strive for. I was blessed to study a subject entitled “Study of Religion” in high school, where I established that all religions have the same basic premise. Be good to one another and you will get into heaven, be good to one another and karma will be kind. There are key beliefs that are, by and large, consistent through all cultures and religions, therefore, it is possible for multiculturalism to be successful albeit with a certain level of tolerance.
My Sherpa and I are spending this Christmas with our extended family in country Victoria. They are quite religious and Christmas morning will involve a Catholic Mass. My Sherpa has only been to church a couple of times and the last Christmas we partook in that ritual. My family and I were quite amused by Gobinda’s attempt at getting change from his contribution as the donation plate was passed around. To me, the spirit of Christmas is spending time with those we love, connecting with them a little better, giving to those less fortunate, and bringing kindness to the world.
This Christmas will, for many of us, bring together people who have not seen each other for a while and those of differing opinions and beliefs. What transcends these differences is love, and therefore, we find tolerance to be curious of others and listen rather than judge. Universally, all humans prefer to be in an environment where the beliefs of support, respect, and tolerance are paramount.
While families may have started off with similar beliefs when they were a tight unit who lived together, when we move off to have our grown-up lives, we are influenced by different experiences, people, and observations. Regardless, if someone has changed in some way since the last time you talked to them, they are at the core a good human who believes in doing what is right for them at the time. We are all doing the best that we can navigating this life and we have all been looking forward to this Christmas break more than ever before, so set aside our differences, break bread together, and be merry.
Wishing you all a safe, rejuvenating holiday filled with fun, love, and laughter. Thank you for all your support this year. I truly appreciated it!