Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Important Things

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The Christmas season rekindles feelings of warmth, family and, I hope, memories of a happy childhood. While at UMass, we are temporarily deluged with term papers and exams, and thus distracted from the holiday cheer around us. I think you know what I mean.

It’s typical for people to sometimes warn against materialism at this time of year. It’s a common plea to caution others of the madness surrounding Christmas gift shopping and the various holiday parties. I don’t take this approach, as I think people enjoy taking part in events with their loved ones and friends, even if the superficiality of gift giving is an intrinsic part of the ritual.

Some might even say that Santa Claus is a distraction, and that the true reason for the season is Jesus Christ. Some churches have taken up this campaign. However, I should point out an interesting fact from New England history. The early colonists, who had to leave England because of their devotion to the Bible and their persistent challenges to the traditions of the established church, did not celebrate Christmas. They found it to be a holiday with no basis in the Bible and full of non-Christian traditions.

I may venture dangerously close to political incorrectness by reflecting upon the recent increase in the many holidays celebrated in December as companions to Christmas. Around campus, posters feature holidays associated with Festivals of Light from around the world, of which Christmas is merely one of many. The sentiment of the posters is to dampen bigotry and to promote inclusion, and in this sense I appreciate the intention.

However, I think it’s a disservice to the main reason for December excitement. A better approach is to celebrate holidays in their proper context and to learn about them at all times of year. Promoting various minor holidays as alternatives to the major holiday of Christmas seems to be a disservice both to Christmas and to other traditions around the world.

I believe most tourists in America or new immigrants recognize the culture of America for what it is. If I visited China, I would not expect them to defer to my American traditions, and if they did, I would find it strange. I would prefer they teach me about Chinese cultural traditions. Likewise, I think most visitors and immigrants in America are not offended by American and Western culture or Christmas in particular.

Why I’ve ventured in this direction in the first place is to warn that we’ve lost track of what’s really important. I know there have always been people that value things differently, but it seems our culture today has lost much of its significance and meaning. The things we value most are often superficial, with little enduring value. It’s the enduring things that are worthwhile. We need to reexamine what legacy we are leaving for ourselves and our future generations.

Many have made this warning before, and I don’t want to jump to join the bandwagon, but it genuinely appears that America is on a pathway to its own decline. The amazing part is that it’s completely voluntary. We’ve lost the drive of previous generations, and we are simply coasting along. We are living off of our inheritance, but soon we will have drawn down all of the principle. We look for the next quick high and stay away from the things that endure.

There is a series of paintings in the New York Historical Society by Thomas Cole, who was a British born artist who moved to America with his family in the early 19th century. He is one of the best landscape painters of his era, and created a uniquely American style. His greatness wasn’t necessarily in how good of a painter he was, but how he weaved deeply important motifs into his artwork. Merely looking at his work elevates the soul, and any person that causes you to look to what is important, to what exists outside of time or, in short, to your soul, is a true friend indeed.

As a commentary to his series called “The Course of Empire,” Thomas Cole quotes literary master Lord Byron, who wrote in “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” what may the inevitable path of America, along with other great empires of the past. The series is an essential must see the next time you find yourself in New York, but I’ll leave you with the reflection as quoted by Cole,

 

There is the moral of all human tales;

 

‘Tis but the same rehearsal of the past.

First freedom and then Glory – when that fails,

Wealth, vice, corruption – barbarism at last.

And History, with all her volumes vast,

 

Hath but one page…

 

Eric Magazu is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].

 

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