Getting Into The Holiday Spirit – A Reminder

On December 13, 2025December 13, 2025 By MaryIn Observations & MusingsLeave a comment

(I originally published this here on December 7, 2012)

Last year, during the Christmas holidays, I read a lot of posts from people disillusioned by all of the commercialism so prevalent during the holiday season. Please don’t despair! Just because the holidays seem to have been co-opted by commercial interests doesn’t mean that the true spirit of the season has to be lost! It doesn’t matter what religion you practice or if you don’t practice any religion at all. There is still something beautiful to be shared and en-JOY-ed during this time of year. Here are some points to ponder:

We often get so caught up in our daily routines that every single day seems to be the same day & time just flies by without our noticing. During the holiday season, though, things start to look a lot different than on our “ordinary” days. Lights, colorful decorations and joyful music suddenly appear just about everywhere giving us the opportunity to be drawn out of the dream of our daily routines. Take advantage of this opportunity to truly “be there” and to reflect on your life.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I tend to develop a negative attitude towards the world and the people I encounter throughout the year. Everyone seems so distant and self-centered and the news is always bad. But during the holiday season, a different spirit seems to permeate – not necessarily other people or the world in general, but within myself. I don’t know if it’s the pretty lights or the music or if it’s just the simple fact that I am now thinking about giving gifts to others instead of just thinking of myself as I do for most of the rest of the year. Whatever it is, I start to see people differently and my heart is filled with love instead of mistrust, disdain or indifference. Maybe I should reflect on this & ask myself if my life might be happier and more meaningful if I looked at people through the lens of the Holiday Spirit all year long. In other words, maybe the problem is me and not them.
The winter holidays are very interesting from a psychological perspective in that this is the time of the year when the days of sunlight are so short, everything is mostly grey and dead looking. And, yet, this is the time of year when humans choose to celebrate their most festive and extravagant holidays! If this doesn’t speak of a great spirit of Hope & Faith, I don’t know what does. Think about it: If suddenly everything that supplied you with your life’s sustenance was suddenly dying and disappearing, wouldn’t the sane thing be to hoard as much as you could get your hands on? Instead, we prepare great feasts and give everything away. Think about this deeply.

So, don’t despair! Sure a lot of people are looking to make lots of money from the holidays – it only makes good business sense. But good business sense has nothing to do with the true Holiday Spirit. As stated in #3 above, the holiday season is really all about a glorious foolishness and madness wherein human beings choose Hope & Faith over Fear & Uncertainty! So, let’s all try to take advantage of the season to go a little crazy & to take a look around at the world and at each other and see if maybe there isn’t a little Love, Joy & Hope to be had.

To AI or not to AI? That is the Question

On December 13, 2025December 13, 2025 By MaryIn Miscellaneous, Observations & MusingsLeave a comment

I have nothing at all against AI coming into being. It has just as much right to exist as the rest of us. But what I do think is important, is that we distinguish between human “intelligence” and artificial “intelligence.” My reasoning being the following:

While it’s true that much of human intelligence is gained in the same way that AI is learning: gaining knowledge from those who have gone before, there is a distinct difference. While we humans gain knowledge from others, we also gain knowledge from lived experience in the “real world”. We then couple those two things together, and hopefully gain wisdom. In addition to the ability to gain wisdom, humans also have something called “imagination”. Where does this come from? Is it possible for AI to have this “imagination”? I don’t know, and would like to explore these questions further at a later date.

In the meantime, I think that it is important to share some “real human shit”. In a world where it is becoming increasingly unclear as to whether content on the internet has been created by AI or by a human, I am committed to sharing only my very own imperfect ideas, art and music. When you come here, you can be assured that all of my content is created by a real live human being.

What do you think? Is that important to you? What do you think about human imagination and the possibility of AI having imagination? Join in on the conversation by clicking on the “Leave a Comment” link above or below. I would love to hear your thoughts.

The Party’s Over

On March 16, 2024March 16, 2024 By MaryIn Miscellaneous, Observations & MusingsLeave a comment

Wouldn’t it be totally cool if RFK Jr. won the presidency in 2024?

Imagine this: People suddenly see that it really is possible to get rid of the ridiculously insane two party system in this country. Up come some Congressional elections and independents win these also. Suddenly things are getting done to the benefit of the people in this country instead of dogmatic adherence to the principles of one party or the other. Seriously. Why do we pay the salaries of these 535 elected assholes when we could save a whole lot of money by just electing 2, one from each party to fight it out with each other. We could get rid of the Capitol Building and turn it into rentable office space or condos or something and just put the two of them into a tiny Thunderdome-style tent and let them go at it. Think of the cost savings and the money making opportunities! Honestly, does it really matter who we elect to ruin…I mean run (is this really a typo though?) the country when they are only going to vote the “party line”? Two will do!

Instead, imagine a Congress filled with 535 people with no particular party affiliation, no obligation or expectation to vote in a particular way. We might actually solve some problems and create a great country again.

If you really want to Make America Great Again, vote 3rd party and say “fuck off” to the bloated elephants and stubborn asses that we seem to think we are stuck with now.

Hell is Other People

On March 1, 2024 By MaryIn Miscellaneous, Observations & MusingsLeave a comment

Once you realize the cold, hard truth – that no one, and I mean, no one gives a shit about you, life gets so much easier. No more conflict. No more expectations being dashed. No more hurt feelings. No more trying to convince anybody of anything. Fuck it. Fuck them. Fuck it all. Then you just go about your life doing your thing totally free. Sure, you yourself care about others, which kind of puts the kibosh on this theory, but you just ignore that fact and keep on keeping on. Occasionally, you have a meaningful and even beautiful encounter with another, but you know that it must remain brief and that you must move on before expectations begin to develop, fucking up the whole thing. And this is how you live until you die. Happy and free. Sartre was right: Hell IS other people, but he should have qualified that with Hell is other people with long-term proximity, obligations or expectations. Because, damn, sometimes other people are heavenly.

Getting Into The Holiday Spirit

On December 7, 2012December 5, 2015 By MaryIn Observations & MusingsLeave a comment

Last year, during the Christmas holidays, I read a lot of posts from people disillusioned by all of the commercialism so prevalent during the holiday season. Please don’t despair! Just because the holidays seem to have been co-opted by commercial interests doesn’t mean that the true spirit of the season has to be lost! It doesn’t matter what religion you practice or if you don’t practice any religion at all. There is still something beautiful to be shared and en-JOY-ed during this time of year. Here are some points to ponder:

We often get so caught up in our daily routines that every single day seems to be the same day & time just flies by without our noticing. During the holiday season, though, things start to look a lot different than on our “ordinary” days. Lights, colorful decorations and joyful music suddenly appear just about everywhere giving us the opportunity to be drawn out of the dream of our daily routines. Take advantage of this opportunity to truly “be there” and to reflect on your life.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I tend to develop a negative attitude towards the world and the people I encounter throughout the year. Everyone seems so distant and self-centered and the news is always bad. But during the holiday season, a different spirit seems to permeate – not necessarily other people or the world in general, but within myself. I don’t know if it’s the pretty lights or the music or if it’s just the simple fact that I am now thinking about giving gifts to others instead of just thinking of myself as I do for most of the rest of the year. Whatever it is, I start to see people differently and my heart is filled with love instead of mistrust, disdain or indifference. Maybe I should reflect on this & ask myself if my life might be happier and more meaningful if I looked at people through the lens of the Holiday Spirit all year long. In other words, maybe the problem is me and not them.
The winter holidays are very interesting from a psychological perspective in that this is the time of the year when the days of sunlight are so short, everything is mostly grey and dead looking. And, yet, this is the time of year when humans choose to celebrate their most festive and extravagant holidays! If this doesn’t speak of a great spirit of Hope & Faith, I don’t know what does. Think about it: If suddenly everything that supplied you with your life’s sustenance was suddenly dying and disappearing, wouldn’t the sane thing be to hoard as much as you could get your hands on? Instead, we prepare great feasts and give everything away. Think about this deeply.

So, don’t despair! Sure a lot of people are looking to make lots of money from the holidays – it only makes good business sense. But good business sense has nothing to do with the true Holiday Spirit. As stated in #3 above, the holiday season is really all about a glorious foolishness and madness wherein human beings choose Hope & Faith over Fear & Uncertainty! So, let’s all try to take advantage of the season to go a little crazy & to take a look around at the world and at each other and see if maybe there isn’t a little Love, Joy & Hope to be had.

Hurricane Sandy & The Upcoming Election

On October 30, 2012 By MaryIn Observations & Musings1 Comment

There has been a lot of talk this past week about the effect of Hurricane Sandy on the upcoming elections. As I watch news footage of this devastating storm I too am thinking about the effect that this storm will have on the elections, but my concerns have nothing to do with voter turnout or interrupted campaigns. Instead, I am thinking about the millions of Americans who are watching the same news footage that I am watching and seeing the heroic efforts of other Americans in trying to help those who have been stranded, injured and suffered terrible loss of property due to this storm.

Much has been made during the current political campaigns about the cost of social programs and aid provided by government to those of us who “should be more self-sufficient and stop thinking of ourselves as victims.” Who can forget Mitt Romney’s comments about the 47% of Americans who “don’t pay taxes” won’t vote for him, as they “are dependent upon the government, who believe they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it.”

I am not a Liberal or a Conservative. I am, however, an American citizen and a human being. I prefer to not label myself and to keep a real open mind when it comes to anything. I don’t believe you can ever learn anything or get anywhere in discussions with other Americans or other human beings if you are enslaved to “ologies” of any sort which cause you to be unable to really hear and perhaps give credence to another’s viewpoint when they may actually have a point worth considering. This is why I will admit right off the bat here that, in part, I agree with the idea that people should become more self-sufficient, confident and willing & able to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, as the saying goes.

What I disagree with, however, is the purpose for doing so. A person should become as strong and able as they possibly can NOT just so they can survive when others do not. A person should become as strong and able as they possibly can in order to be able to help others in times of need who cannot help themselves. As this terrible “Frankenstorm” has shown us, “shit happens”. It happens to all of us at times. There is not a person among us who has not or who will not need the help of another at some point in our lives. To watch those who CAN help those who CAN’T during this devastating storm fills my heart with joy and love and renews my sense of pride in being an American and a human being. The issue shouldn’t just be about those who need help in this country, it should also be about the fact that we, as Americans, need to give help to others. It is not just a simple matter of economics it is also a spiritual matter. It is a question about our purpose and the meaning of our lives.

American politics get into a lot of moral areas where many of us think it should not: debates about abortion, euthanasia, and gay marriage. The reason these issues do come up, whether we like it or not, is because we want our government to reflect our moral values. We don’t just want a cold and efficient bureaucracy running things. We want our “leaders” to care about the things that we care about and to mirror our values. In this time of great economic crisis, our morality has been muddied and clouded with fear. The issues as they are presented to us are not moral issues but are instead based on cold, practical policy-making. Sure, the issue of “gay marriage” is once more in the forefront. But does “gay marriage” really count as an issue that defines us as a people and as a nation? I would say that it does not, no matter what side of the debate you’re on. What really defines us as a people and as Americans are the very acts that I’m watching on my television today: our willingness and our ability to be there for each other and even for those in other countries around the world when we are needed.

The issue over government provided social services and aid programs isn’t just about those who NEED services. It is also about those who need to PROVIDE services. We are a nation of givers. It is a large part of what defines us as a people. It is often said that the United States of America was founded on Christian principles. This idea impels many of our political choices. What Christian principles could be more important than those of Faith, Hope, Charity & Love? It seems that we have forgotten these while focusing instead on finger-pointing and judging others. Let’s not allow fear (which is the absence of Faith & Hope) to defeat that which is the best in us. If we work together and listen to each other and care about each other, we can overcome any crisis while maintaining our integrity and our principles. Let’s not sell these so cheaply.

So, please watch footage of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy with me and allow your heart to be moved by the courage and spirit of our Fellow Americans reaching out and helping other Fellow Americans in need. Let your heart decide the future of our country and not your fear or your political affiliations. Let’s remember together what really makes America great. This would be the greatest and most important impact that Hurricane Sandy could possibly have on our upcoming elections.