Beware of the people with purple lips. They sink ships.

Today is Easter although I am not
a christian anymore. I believe I am a non believer of anything if that makes any sense. As I was teaching myself Mandarin today I stopped to think how America has lost faith not in religion, but in all things sacred in general. Things have become so watered down, politically correct, and consumer driven that the essence of everything now boils down to credit cards, celebrity- worship, reality tv, cell phone technology, and the latest Oprah craze.


Easter used to be something about this guy named Jesus that rose from the grave and created these magical colored eggs that took away peoples sins. Then who ever had the most eggs that were the prettiest got to go to heaven where everybody's blood was made out
of wine. So everybody was drunk all the time. Except nobody got hangovers because it is heaven. All the angels were like really good bartenders and made sure everybody drank the Kool-Aid,


"Oh, Yeah!" At least that is how the story goes as I remember it. Then again I went to public school as a child. So what do I know. Although I did attend St.Mary's in Michigan City, Indiana for about 6 months or my second grade year. I believe one could say I lost what little faith I had when we went to mass and I tasted the holy water. To my surprise it was regular old warm, dirty tap water. I was expecting a Sprite like liquid or something to the effect "The champagne of H2O." Nope, nothing. No super powers. I didn't run faster, or walk on water. Although it did make my tongue itch a little I remember that much.


I am not really going anywhere with that story. It just brings me to the point that holidays at least here in America seem to be more about just having a day off,a reason to go out and buy something nice, or just to go hangout with people you haven't seen in a while. Matter of fact, all but 2 0r 3 holidays actually have any significant.

The truest of holidays and my personal favorite is Halloween and we don't even get a day off. There are no super sales in its' honor, no one gets depressed because they are alone, and there are no obligations to see relatives that you don't even like. People just get dressed up if they want and have fun. Maybe go to a party. Kids love it because they get candy and can wear a costume. Adults love it because they get adult candy called alcohol and it is socially acceptable to wear a costume too. There is no religious connotations except for those fanatic evangelical types or Satanist. People aren't obligated to buy other people gifts. And one can wish somebody a happy Halloween without reprise of being insensitive to their culture. Unless one is Mormon I think?

The second, and maybe last sacred holiday here in America would have to be the 4th of July. Everyone knows what it is to celebrate that day. Fireworks, food(namely bbq), and enjoying the company of friends and family. Along with celebrating our freedom by not working and loving it. Again, nothing is bought as gifts for people although there are super July 4th sales,but those are mainly aimed at car dealerships. In general though, the spirit of the holiday remains true to our fore fathers' dreams.

The last holiday is on the verge of losing it's true meaning of existance and instead is the quiet before the storm. That would be...You guessed it Thanksgiving. Any holiday where the next day is called," Black Friday" can't be good. What used to be a day of giving thanks, seeing long lost relatives that you can deal with once every year, and eat really good food until one nearly bust their pants to all new dimensions. Has now become known as the day before Christmas season.
How did this happen? How did it go from fun, food, and family. To Dozens of people getting killed in store riots the next day to get a gift for a child that probably will be bored with it in mere months. Thanksgiving is going to eventually be known as the day before Black Friday and Black Friday will become the real holiday in this consumer crazed society. Hopefully the bright aspect of this failing economy is the fact that our consumerism society is toning it down a notch which
I can only hope will continue. Although I am not
optimistic by nature. It would be nice though to be
proven wrong. I like seeing this country of mine
tightening it's waste belt and not buying everything in sight like some deranged billionaire at a flee market. I think we as consumers needed
to be humbled and taught a lesson. Maybe this was a little harsher than some would have liked, but in my honest opinion this was the only way we were going to learn our lesson. So as the Christmas Grinch Goblin Bouncer would say,"Hey,You! To the back of the line with you!" One day we will come back and come back strong. It's just the rules we have to learn if we are to succeed as a society. And by succeed I do not mean being able to buy everything you want, but being able to afford everything one needs.

(all these images are from the series
"Infamous 99 bottles of beer on the wall" and have no ties or affiliations with the brewing
companies incorporated into each individual work of art. For the entire collection visit
www.umcstudios.com)