Lucid Dreaming in Thailand
I love my waking life. I live in a beautiful part of the world, and the sun is always shining when I open the door. My home life couldn’t be better, and things are going well in my career at the moment. I have plenty to stay awake for, but I’m also finding increasing pleasure in my dreaming hours. I would even go so far as to say that some of the most significant events in my life recently have occurred while I was asleep. This might sound like a bizarre claim but those who regularly have lucid dreams will probably understand what I’m referring to.
Lucid Dreaming Explained
I was once highly skeptical of lucid dreaming and put it in the same category as magic crystals or fairy dust. I didn’t realize that this state of consciousness had already been given the stamp of approval by science. There are now numerous studies that confirm that it is possible for people to become fully aware in the middle of a dream. It is even suggested that as many as 50% of the population will have experienced at least some level of lucidity while dreaming.
Lucid dreaming is when people become awake while in the middle of a dream . Those who are unfamiliar with this experience are usually so startled that it wakes them up right away. Once people learn how to manage this lucidity it opens up a world of opportunity. It becomes possible to have some control in the dream. This world created by our mind then becomes our personal holodeck ; fans of Star Trek will know what I’m talking about here. In other words our dreams can become our playground and we can do almost anything we want.
Benefits of Lucid Dreaming
Those people who have never experienced lucid dreaming might wonder what all the fuss is about. We tend to take our dreams for granted and most of the time we don’t even remember them afterwards. The potential of lucidity in dreams is astounding and the benefits include
- It is an opportunity to gain insight into our subconscious. The things that we learn about our own inner landscape can completely change the way we live our waking life.
- It is possible to talk with deceased loved ones. The general consensus is that these phantoms are just part of our subconscious, but they can bring great comfort.
- It is possible to have conversations with literally anyone; including historical heroes like the Buddha or Socrates.
- We can live out our fantasies. Forget about playing an air guitar because in a lucid dream you get to see an audience and really experience what it is like to be onstage.
- Buddhists have a long history of using lucid dreaming as a path to enlightenment.
- The ability that attracts the most attention from newbie lucid dreamers is flying. The laws of gravity do not apply in the dream world so flying is not a problem.
- Another tempting diversion in lucid dreaming is to live out sexual fantasies. This is probably high on the list of reasons for why people want to learn to become lucid in the first place – it takes sex tourism to a whole new level.
- One of the most talked about potentials of lucid dreaming is the ability to master new skills. My own experiences is that lucid dreaming isn’t that great for learning new languages, but it can be good for practicing physical activities. I’ve used it for Muay Thai sparring, and it did help with my confidence.
- One of my favorite abilities in these dreams is time travel. It is even possible to revisit times before we were born or in the future. Of course most people don’t believe that we actually travel through time, but it can be extremely convincing.
* It can lead to increased creativity in our waking life.
My Own Experience with Lucid Dreaming
I had lucid dreams in my teens, but I didn’t know that this is what they were. The shock of being lucid always woke me up. I had my first sustained lucid dream during a meditation retreat at Wat Rampoeng nine years ago. I was then meditating up to 16 hours a day, and this meant that when I became lucid my automatic response was to just continue meditating. Most new lucid dreamers will do all the exciting stuff like flying, or having sex with their dream date, so my early experiences with lucidity might be considered a bit tame.
Since giving up alcohol almost six years ago I’ve developed an increased ability to lucid dream. I am experiencing them with increased regularity. I now have lucid dreams about once every couple of weeks. It is still such a joy to become aware in the middle of a dream, and I can’t imagine ever getting bored with this ability. Some people are able to become lucid every night, but I’ve yet to reach that level. I would be happy with once a week.
It is only in recent months that I’ve started reading other people’s accounts of lucid dreaming and the techniques that work for them. I highly recommend Lucid Dreaming by Stephen Laberge. I still struggle to gain control over my dreams. I just become too distracted and excited with being awake in this imaginary world that has been created inside my own head. A few nights ago I time travelled back to Dublin during the seventies. I just felt so gob-smacked by how real everything looked and felt. I wasted a lot of time just touching things. I woke up before really getting a chance to explore. There is a great deal of skill involved in dream lucidity, but I am getting better at it.
I’m surprised at how little attention is given to dream lucidity in the media. I believe that this is something that anyone could learn to do, and the rewards make the effort well worth it. It can be frustrating in the beginning, but if people keep at it they are almost certain to gain control over their dreams. We spend a good sized chunk of our life asleep so it does make sense that we make use of this time.
Greetings from Phuket
I’ve taken a few days off to travel down to Phuket. I came down on Thursday night and the journey took me 12 hours. It turned out to be a tougher drive than I’d expected, and I felt completely knackered afterwards. I was like a zombie for most of yesterday. I’m not looking forward to the return trip.
My reason for travelling down to Phuket is to practice Muay Thai. I’ve been lazy in recent months, and the aim of this trip is to revamp my love of this martial arts. I’m going to be devoting myself to Muay Thai over the next few days. You can follow my progress on my other blog Middle Aged Muay Thai
Why I Am No Longer An Alcoholic
In this episode I discuss my reasons for no longer considering myself to be an alcoholic
You can listen to the podcast of this episode by pressing play below.
In Response to the Addiction Experts
I was recently interviewed by a journalist from the Chiang Mai City Life magazine about my experiences of addiction in Thailand. I’m always grateful for the opportunity to talk about myself so thanks Grace. I do recommend that people read this article Staying Sober in Thailand.
The Expert View of Thamkrabok
The one thing that really caught my attention in this article was the views of Simon Mott – an addiction expert. In particular his claim;
“This practice may be more beneficial for Thai people who are spiritually linked to Buddhism, also especially if they continue to live as a monk after treatment. However, it is vital to find and deal with the root of the problem causing addiction, which is better sought through psychology, counselling, and cognitive behavioural therapy. It is important to examine the way people think about things, and try to adapt thinking patterns to heal addictions.”
I must admit that his comments have irked me. Mott does not appear to know much about the temple yet he feels qualified to make blanket statements. I do not pretend to act as a spokesperson for Thamkrabok but most of the ex-patients I’ve met have already tried the therapies he has suggested. I entered my first treatment facility and nineteen and had twenty years of psychology, counseling, and CBT – these methods did not work for me, but I found success at Thamkrabok.
I would love to know on what basis Mott is making his claim “This practice may be more beneficial for Thai people who are spiritually linked to Buddhism, also especially if they continue to live as a monk after treatment”. Buddhism was hardly mentioned during my stay and most of the people who establish a solid sobriety afterwards do not live the life of a monk. I certainly don’t live this life anyway.
More Than One Solution
I’m sure that the therapies Mott endorses do help many addicts. I’m not going to say here it will be better for people to go to Thamkrabok. It seems reasonable to assume that there is no one solution that suits everyone. It is obvious though, that the western approach is failing too many people so to insist that ‘more of the same’ is the way to go sounds stupid to me. This point was made clear by a report provided by the National Health Executive in the UK last year called Addicted to the Status Quo. It concluded that ‘Current treatments options are limited and substantially rest within a symptom management model’.
There is not yet enough scientific research into the efficacy of Thamkrabok. Groups such as East-West Detox are working to get some studies completed, but it is a hugely problematic thing to judge. This means that any claims that recovery is “better sought through psychology, counselling, and cognitive behavioural therapy” is based on zero evidence. It bugs me when experts dismiss those therapies that they do not understand and that could be of benefit to many people. To keep on insisting that these individuals return to those therapies that have already failed them sounds ridiculous to me. To be honest, it bugs the shit out of me.
24 Years and I Can Still Get Homesick
Dublin (Picture from Wikimedia Commons)
I left my home in Dublin 24 years ago – I had just turned eighteen. This means that I’ve spent the majority of my life living abroad. I stayed in England for over a decade, spent a year in Scotland, and this was followed by a brief sojourn in Saudi Arabia. I have been living in Thailand for the last 11 years. I love my current life and wouldn’t change a thing. I made the right decision to leave Ireland all those years ago. Despite this I still get periods of homesickness.
The Homesickness Bug
I’ve become used to these periods of homesickness. I know that each year there will be a few days when I’ll pine for the old country. I treat these emotions in much the same way as a common cold. I just sit them out, and I know that they will pass. These days there is wonderful technology that allows me to feel like I’m back in Ireland without leaving Bangkok. I can listen to Irish Radio, and watch Irish TV. I can even go for a walk around my old neighborhood with the help of Google maps street level views – on of the most fantastic tools available on the internet. This might sound like I’m wallowing in my homesickness, but it does help. It is not like this is something I do every day.
The Ireland I Left No Longer Exists
One uncomfortable truth that many of us long-term expats have to face is that the place we left no longer exists. Ireland has changed so much since the eighties that I can feel like a bit of a stranger there when I do visit. I will always consider it to be my home, but in so many important ways it is not my home any longer. I have a new life and Ireland has moved on without me.
I remember about twenty years ago talking to this old guy in a London pub. He had been living outside Ireland for decades. This old fella urged me to return to Dublin right away before it was too late. He warned that I was about to embark on a life where I’d always be a stranger. I would never completely feel like I fit in my adopted home, and I’d feel like a stranger when I went back to Ireland on holidays. His prophecy turned out to be correct, but there are some advantages to being an outsider. It has forced me to grow and challenge so many of my cultural assumptions. It made me who I am.
The Dangers of Strong Opinions and Beliefs – Video
In this video I discuss my views about holding strong opinions and beliefs. Please feel free to leave a comment.
I Hate Typos
I make my living as a writer, but this does not mean that my written work is flawless. In fact I cringe when I read back and notice mistakes that have been made with posts on this blog. One reader left a comment today mentioning evidence of poor grammar and spelling. I felt so embarrassed. To make matters worse they were referring to one of my more popular posts and it has been there online for almost a year!
All writers make these typos, but they are usually caught in the editing process. The problem for me is that I usually add my posts on here at the end of a long work day. Sometimes I only manage a quick edit before hitting the publish button. I don’t see the mistakes because mentally I’ve already started tucking into my evening meal. It probably sounds like I’m making excuses here, but that’s just the way it is. This blog is hugely important to me, but it would probably be fair to say that at times I’ve been sloppy. I would love to go back over all my posts and check for mistakes, but I just don’t have the time.
If any reader does spot a mistake please feel free to tell me. It is not going to crush my self-esteem because I already make my living as a writer – I can’t be that bad. It is my job and I want to at least look professional. I just hate the idea of these typos being left as evidence of my sloppiness. I will try to be more careful in the future 
My First Trip to the Dentist in 12 Years
I’m a bit ashamed to say but I’ve only been to the dentist three times in adulthood. My last visit was 12 years ago to the dentistry school at St Barts in London. I broke a tooth on a particularly hard piece of wholegrain bread (this was during the midst of my alcohol addiction so the fact that I was eating such healthy food meant I was having a particularly good day; unfortunately the broken tooth was used as evidence to support my view that trying to live a healthy life was just a waste of time). A student gave me a temporary cap and told me to see a qualified dentist within six months to get the job done properly. I never went back.
Worrying About Rotten Teeth
In the 12 years since my last visit to the dentist I’ve wasted a lot of time worrying about my teeth. I brush them at least a couple of times a day, but I know that at least some input from a dentist is required. I had a bad experience with one of these professionals in my childhood and so I now fear them. Oa (my wife) finds it strange that I am a qualified nurse yet have this fear, but to me they are not the same thing. So I avoid going to the dentist and just live with the worry that my teeth may be rotten and about to fall out of my head at any second. I also keep remembering that sick joke about the guy who went to the dentist after many years. He is told that his teeth are fine but that he will need to have his gums removed.
Trip to the Dentist in Minburi
Yesterday in a fit of bravery I decided to go to the dentist in Minburi. I felt really nervous during the trip in the car and my wife thought this highly amusing. I almost lost my courage at the last minute. In a show of solidarity Oa decided to have her teeth checked as well; even though she didn’t really feel that they needed checking. They called her in first. I had to sit there with the noise of drilling and whatever else it is they do in there. I brought along my iPad for distraction, but I just couldn’t concentrate on anything. It felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack.
My turn came, and I was expecting the worst. They dentist had a good look and told me that I needed one filling and a good clean. I remember the last time I’d gone to a dentist they had said that my teeth were in remarkably good shape despite my aversion to dentistry. I didn’t expect for a similar outcome this time so it was a real result. The filling and cleaning involved minimal discomfort so I was an extremely happy customer. I also found it amusing that despite the fact that Oa has no aversion to dentists, and takes good care of her teeth, she needed four fillings.
I felt so pleased with myself that I decided to go right back into the dentist’s chair. They had a special offer on teeth whitening – only 2,900 THB (about 70 euro). The next forty five minutes were a bit uncomfortable. I had not done any research because it was a spur of the moment decision. I did not know that the procedure would increase the sensitivity of my teeth – at times it felt like the dentist was sticking something right in the nerve. To be honest the discomfort wasn’t that bad, and I’m really pleased with the results. My teeth look whiter than I ever remember them being. They are not quite celebrity white, but they will do for me.
Drinking Coffee through a Straw
The other thing that I didn’t realize with the teeth whitening procedure was that I would be expected to avoid coffee and tea for 2 weeks. I have been meaning to cut down my caffeine intake again, but sudden withdrawals do not suit me. Last time I went cold turkey on coffee the headaches were terrible. I did some research online and found that it would be possible for me to continue with my caffeine so long as I didn’t allow it to touch my teeth. So now I’m drinking these beverages via a straw.
I wasted so much time over the last 12 years worrying about my teeth. I should have just gone to the dentist ages ago. It really is such a relief to take care of these things rather than ignoring them.
Mindful Eating Update – Who Ate All the Pies!
It has been almost six months since I last did one of these mindful eating updates. Back then I was boasting about how my weight was the lowest it had been since my teens at 69kg (152 pounds). At that time I was preparing to fight Muay Thai and within two weeks after that post my weight had fallen further to 67kg. Fast forward to now and I’m embarrassed to say that my weight is currently 79kg – it was over 80kg a couple of weeks ago!
So What Went Wrong with Mindful Eating
I never expected to keep my weight below 70kg indefinitely, but I certainly never wanted it to go about 75kg again. When I abandoned my fight plans my weight did start to creep up, but this was to be expected and it was starting to level out at 72kg. The killer blow to my plan to maintain a healthy weight began with the Bangkok floods back in October. This meant I could no longer go running or visit Sitsongpeenong for Muay Thai training. Things got so bad during the floods that we had to stay in a hotel for over a month. I coped the wrong way with the stress and ended up doing a lot of comfort eating. I felt physically ill because of the amount of junk I was eating, but I felt unwilling to stop.
The real blame for this weight gain was my failure to maintain mindful eating when things started to go wrong. I’m not going to beat myself up too much over it because unfortunately this is my learning style. It was the exact same with my alcohol addiction; I would get periods of sobriety followed by relapse. Eventually I got the message, and I am convinced that the same is going to happen with my weight. The truth is that it is just too painful for me to live an unhealthy life now. They say that ignorance is bliss but by experiencing how great it is to be physically in shape I know what I’m missing.
Failure is Giving Up
I truly do believe that people only ever fail when they give up. I’m not giving up. I’ve been back exercising for the last two weeks and my weight has already come down by a couple of kg. I’m determined to be back in my safety zone of below 75kg by April at the latest. My previous efforts have not been wasted because I know what can be achieved, and it does not take too much effort. I still have not managed to get back to my Muay Thai class, but I am working on my fitness at home. I’m also doing a bit of yoga in the evenings to see if that helps.
I’ll keep you posted about my progress
Thank You Deezer for the Music
Update 26/04/2012 It has become more difficult to use Deezer in Thailand so I’ve cancelled my subscription. It is a bit of a shame because I liked the service.
One of the drawbacks of living in Thailand is that I miss out on some entertainment options that would be available back in Europe. One of the internet services that I’ve really been itching to get my hands on has been Spotify – a legal way to listen to millions of songs online with my computer or iPad. Unfortunately it has not been possible for me to subscribe to Spotify because I don’t have a UK bank account.
Deezer Music Streaming
Deezer offers a similar service to Spotify and charges roughly the same membership fee – for premium plus I get access to about 13 million songs. There really is no need for me to ever purchase more music. It is even possible to create playlists that can be listened to offline. I was able to sign up using my Irish credit card details and have begun their 15 day free trial – after that it is 9.99 GBP per month.
I had a good look around today at the Deezer music selection and I am impressed. I noticed that some important bands are missing such as the Beatles, and Oasis. I was also disappointed to find that they only had a small collection of songs by the Pixies. Still it is hard to complain about what is there. I love the radio stations and the ability to share music via social media. The biggest attraction for me is that it makes it so easy to discover new music – I can sort of feel out of the loop by living in Thailand.
I’ve always felt that if there were reasonable options available online it would eliminate music piracy. Options like Deezer and Spotify definitely seem to be the right way to go.
I will see how it goes over the next 15 days, but so far I am happy to give Deezer a huge thumbs up – thanks for the music.
Trip to Life Park Khao Yai
On New Year’s Day we went on a family outing to Khao Yai. I don’t know what it is about this first day of the year, but I always like to visit somewhere outdoors. This is our second New Year in a row visiting Khao Yai, but last year we stayed overnight. I did look around for hotels this time, but everywhere was already booked out. The Thais love this mountainous area and this is their favourite time of year to go there. Many of the Bangkokonians view it as an opportunity to wear their winter clothing even though it isn’t much cooler than Bangkok – even first thing in the morning the temperature was still 25 degrees Celsius.
Life Park Khao Yai
I came across Life Park during an internet search for hotels in Khao Yai. It is right next to the Greenery Hotel not far from the Thanarat Road entrance to Khao Yai National Park. The website for Life Park made the place sound wonderful. I’ve been fooled by false advertisements on the web too many times before so I wasn’t really expecting much. I just hoped that it would be interesting enough to keep a four year old boy happy for a couple of hours.
It was just after 9am when we arrived at Khao Yai and there was already quite a crowd there. I would imagine that around New Year is their busiest time. There was no admission fee but instead you need to buy tickets for whatever rides you wish to go on. We bought a 450 THB ticket that allowed Timmy to go on 5 rides; there are other more expensive tickets that allow for more rides.
brum brum min cars Life Park Khao Yai
The scenery around Life Park is quite pleasant and the area is large enough so that it does not feel crowded. Timmy tried out the ‘brum brum’ mini cars first of all, and he enjoyed that. He got to drive around a little town complete with small houses and roundabouts. He was only allowed ten minutes in the car and this felt an unreasonably short amount of time.
After the cars Timmy tried out the ‘pony pony’. These are a type of rocking horse that can actually move around. They looked quite fun but they weren’t exciting enough for my son – perhaps we should have taken him here before the cars.
Probably the best ride of all was the kiddie bumper boats. Timmy felt a bit nervous at first but he started to really enjoy himself near the end of the ride. The boats move around a pool that is fairly small so I’d imagine that it can be chaotic when it gets busy.
Our final destination at Life Park was Inflatable Land. This is an area full of slides and inflatable structures that kids can crawl up and down on. The nicest thing about this place is that you can stay here as long as you want. The woman behind the counter even said that we could leave and come back again later if we wanted. There are a couple of places for adults to sit and still be able to supervise their kids.
There were many other rides in the park but I didn’t get a chance to try them out. From a look on the faces of other people they were all having fun. Timmy enjoyed his visit to Life Park so we will almost certainly visit again. It is a good place to visit as a day trip from Bangkok.
Life is Mystery When Recovering from Drunkenness
In this video I discuss how life is such a mystery for me these days –
You can listen to the audio podcast of this episode by clicking play below –
Why I Am Not an Atheist
I guess if people were to examine my beliefs they could claim that they are atheistic in nature. I don’t believe in a god and do believe that it is good to constantly question my own beliefs. I think the difference is that I do not find it unreasonable that other people should believe in god/gods; I also have not ruled out the possibility of such an entity existing. I just don’t know.
Is it Reasonable to Believe in God?
I would imagine that most atheists will agree that it is not possible to prove or disprove the existence of God/gods. Their main argument seems to be that it is unreasonable for people to believe in such an entity without evidence. This is where my thinking departs from the atheist. Who gets to decide what is reasonable and unreasonable to believe in? I can decide that it is unreasonable for me to believe in something, but this does not give me the right to decide that the same should apply to everyone else. I have to at least consider the possibility that my view of the world is wrong and give other people the benefit of the doubt.
These days most atheists seem to be materialists and this is another reason why I would not count myself among their number. Belief in science requires a lot of faith. It means accepting that the world exists as we perceive it – something that is not possible to prove. It also involves faith in inductive reasoning – the belief that because something happened in the past it will continue to happen in the future. I agree that science is a wonderful tool for dealing with the material world, but this does not mean that it is ultimately pointing at anything true. Those who seem most blinded by science will respond to any gaps in knowledge by saying that _it will all be explained soon_. This is another leap of faith. I also think it is unfair to keep asking believers for proof of their god in the physical world when it is perfectly possible that such an entity would live outside of it. Many religious people have faith because of personal revelation – they may not be able to prove such belief scientifically but this does not mean that they are unreasonable to hold such beliefs.
The Problem with Atheists
The bullying and arrogant manner of many atheists makes me feel even more alienated towards their arguments. At least the religious fundamentalists do not try to disguise their intolerance. It seems to me that the most dangerous people on the planet are those who believe they know what is best for other people – there are many atheists who would fall into this camp. Some of these folk sound like missionaries out to save the lost souls. All fanatics label those who do not believe the same way as them stupid; alarm bells go off in my brain when atheists do the same.
The argument that much of the evil in the world is caused by religion does not sound convincing to me. It is way too simplistic. Conflict has more to do with human nature than belief in a god. I don’t believe that the world would be any better without religion – that is just another ideology that provides an easy scapegoat. Shit happens in the world and if extremists didn’t have religion as an excuse to do bad things they would find something else. Haters will always find a way to hate.
I don’t really want to offend any atheists with my words here. My reason for writing this is to just clear some of the mental garbage in my own head. For some reason sharing these thoughts with other people seems to be more effective than just writing them in a private journal. There are certainly some powerful minds within the atheist community, but I just sometimes wish they were a bit more open-minded. I wish that modern skepticism wasn’t so tied in with materialism; I feel it is good to question everything. My own view is life is unknowable so anything is possible. That is why I am not an atheist.
The Wonderful Mystery of Life
I’ve discovered that admitting to not knowing things can bring a wonderful type of freedom. It does appear to me that the less I pretend to know the happier I become. I’ve probably wasted a great deal of my life searching for answers to questions that have no answer. The world is one great mystery. I really don’t believe that there is any one person who has a better understanding about what is going on than anybody else. ‘Not knowing’ is now my religion and I’m turning into quite a fanatic. It is just so liberating. People will have lots of things that they believe in or have faith in – but not knowing something is a certainty.
Reality Might Not be Real but it is Interesting
Life is a mystery to be lived and not a problem to be solved – I’m not sure who first uttered this quote but they were very wise when they said it. I’ve spent most of my life trying to escape reality. For a long time I used alcohol to numb my brain, but I’ve also used meditation as a means to escape my normal consciousness. Don’t get me wrong here, meditation continues to be a hugely important aspect of my life but my motivations have changed. I’ve stopped trying to develop the ability to transcend the world.
I want to stop denying life- what is here now is good enough. I’m convinced by the Buddhist idea that the self is an illusion, but it is a bloody good illusion. Maybe the only real task for humans in life is to enjoy the show. Getting overly concerned about how the show came about seems to me to be a waste of time; like insisting that the magician explains his tricks – it also feels somehow ungrateful.
Why I love Christmas in Thailand
A Happy Buddhist Boy on Christmas Day
It is now only a few weeks until Christmas, and I must admit to feeling a bit excited by it all. The decorations are already up in our house; this year we bought our biggest plastic tree yet. If you walk past our home here in Minburi there is a good chance that you will hear Christmas songs. It really is the most wonderful time of the year for me – I love it.
Pagans and Jingle Bells
My current enthusiasm for Christmas is a bit surprising; especially when I consider that it was only a couple of years ago that I was debating whether to even celebrate it anymore. After all, we live in Thailand and we are not a Christian family. I also wondered about the ethics of introducing my son to the whole Santa idea. Then I remembered how much this time of year had meant to me as a child. I don’t want my son to miss out on any of that. Most of my favourite memories of growing up are connected with Christmas. Even when I stopped believing in Santa I still wanted to believe in him – I sort of still do.
A cynic could point out that Christmas is all just manufactured hype; a cunning marketing ploy to get people to empty their pockets before the beginning of the next financial year. Of course it is a special day to most Christians, but even some of them do not agree that it is actually the birth date of their saviour (which is probably in January). It is more likely that they selected the 25th of December so as to take over the winter solstice celebrations that were so popular with my European pagan ancestors. This helps explain why so many of the festive traditions are more related to paganism. So the Christians stole Christmas from the pagans, and marketing gurus in the twentieth century managed to hijack it and turn it into the celebrations we love today. You don’t have to dig deep underneath the surface of Christmas to see that it is built on a shaky foundation – even the much loved song Jingle Bells wasn’t actually written about Christmas!
I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday – So Does Tescos!
Despite the reasons to be cynical this is my favourite time of year. It is a part of my culture that I love sharing with my son. Timmy is growing up in Thailand and it can be a struggle to keep him interested in his western heritage; this is one part of my culture that he willingly wants to embrace. My wife never celebrated Christmas until after my son was born; during our first few years together in Thailand I didn’t even bother with it. Now she loves this time of year too.
Growing up in Ireland I naively assumed that everyone on the planet celebrated this holiday. The Coca-Cola advert assured me that this was true and in those days we were less savvy about marketing gimmicks. I thought it was so wonderful that we had this one day when we all tried to be friends. It gave me hope because if we could get one day right then it would be a lot easier to get other days right too. If that could happen it would be our highest human achievement so far. I’m older now and realise that Christmas is far from perfect, but it probably is the nearest we have gotten to such a marvellous day.
Happy Christmas
in the US
in the UK