COMMERCIALISED CHRISTMAS
Is this ‘Gift-Wrapped Emptiness?’
Gift-giving during Christmas time has become a very worrisome experience for many people. Practically everyone is trying to figure out, “What should I get so-and-so for Christmas? What will make him or her happy? Hmmm, maybe a bicycle … an i-pod …… a new shirt … or a pen. Something … some ‘thing’.” People visit a shopping centre, look at all the display windows and wonder, “Hmm, will that make him or her happy?”
Some people can’t decide all the way to the last minute. They really don’t know what’s going to make someone happy, so they put off buying gifts until the last minute. Then during the last two days before Christmas, they join this big, crazy rush in the department stores where they just end up buying whatever. They guess, “Oh well, maybe this will make him happy. I’ll just give him this. Since I spent enough money on it, it’s bound to satisfy him because after all the more expensive it is, the more satisfying it’s supposed to be to whoever gets it, right?”
In the attempt to satisfy people during Christmas, most people go off and try to get so many things without really knowing what’s going to make people happy. Of course, this isn’t always a very good idea. After all, the idea behind gift-giving is to try to make people happy. But to really know what will make a person happy, first we need to find out who they really are or what they really are.
For example, when you go off and try to buy a gift for someone, you think of the person first, “What would he or she like? What does he or she need? What do they do? What are their likes and dislikes?” If someone likes playing cricket, they might like a bat. If they’re a stamp collector, they might like stamps. A woman might like a bracelet or a dress. Obviously, a guy doesn’t want a dress unless he’s a transvestite. So then you think, “Well, he’s a transvestite. He might probably like a dress.”
You think of the person. You think of who they are, then you think of what you can get them. Certainly, you don’t get a cricket player boxing gloves or a boxer a bat.
Now what we’re suggesting is that you look even deeper into people’s identity. See that in reality, all these external identities that you might be thinking people are, is not who or what they really are. We’re not really cricketers, boxers, or even men women. These are all temporary material identities. We are not our material bodies; we’re the eternal living beings within these temporary bodies. Our real identity is we’re spirit souls, children of the Supreme Being.
Unfortunately, most of us only perceive others’ temporary, material identities and therefore wrongly conclude that material things will make people truly happy. Especially at Christmas, people give so many material gifts in the attempt to make others happy.
During Christmas time, material things are put into boxes and made to look very special. These gifts are nicely covered up to cause people to wonder, “Oh, what are in those little boxes under the tree?” In this way, people anticipate and want to enjoy whatever is in the boxes.
Gift-wrapped emptiness means that actually the only content of those nicely wrapped packages is emptiness. There’s nothing of real substance there. It’s just dead matter – material particles that have come together – which in due course of time will eventually fall apart. So, it’s only dead matter in packages which won’t make anyone really happy. Why? Because we’re not dead matter; we’re not material. So, material things will not really make us happy or satisfy us.
For example, when I was a kid, I made a point of opening all the presents under the Christmas tree every Christmas morning. But before I opened a package from someone, I’d think, “This will make me happy.” After I opened it, I’d feel so excited and think, “Well, this is really nice.” But not more than thirty seconds later, I’d get the feeling, “Is that all?” I’d put down the gift and go to another present hoping, “Maybe this will make me happy.”
But again the same thing happens, and I have to go to the next present to see what’s in there, to see if that does it. Pretty soon, all the packages are open and I have all these presents sitting around me and I’m still not happy. I’d then think, “I should be happy because of all the things I now have but I’m not. Isn’t happiness in having all these little things?”
In the Bible, it is stated:
“While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporary but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16, 18)
“Seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Mind the things that are above, not the things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2)
We cannot be made truly happy by any material thing because we’re not matter. We’re not material; we’re not the body; we’re not the mind. We are the eternal spirit souls or living entities within these material bodies. We are the life force, not the body.
So, if we just get material things, because we’re not material, such material things cannot satisfy us.
the perishable cannot inherit the imperishable.”
(1 Corinthians 15:40)
Now as soon as we understand that we are actually sparks of God, children of God, then we will conclude that what will really make us happy, and therefore the best thing that a person can give us, is something that has to do with our spiritual nature.
For instance, if I can give you for Christmas or at any time, the gift of understanding that you are eternal – you’re not temporary; your body can die but you cannot die – then I am giving you the gift of anxiety-less-ness.
In other words, I’m making it so that you don’t need to be in anxiety about death of your body.
If I can give you the understanding that you’re the eternal part and parcel of the Supreme Father, then this will actually make you happy. If I give you the gift of letting you know that God loves you unconditionally, that you can have Him as your best friend, and that He will actually give you protection – take good care of you – then that is the greatest gift I can give you.
QUESTION: How about a person who thinks that if people love him/her, then they will give him a gift which will make him/her happy?
ANSWER: This is quite natural. We all want to be happy. But unfortunately, sometimes a person thinks, “If such-and-such loves me, then that person will give me some material gift. He will give me a new this or a new that. And if he doesn’t give these material things to me, then this proves that he doesn’t really love me.”
For example, at Christmas time, the child thinks, “If such-and-such loves me, then he’ll give me the things which will make me happy.” But if a parent doesn’t give a kid what he thought he was going to get or if the kid wanted something more than what the parents bought him, then sometimes the child will say, “Maybe my parents don’t love me. They didn’t give me what I wanted so this shows that they don’t really care about my happiness!”
And so, people often feel obligated to go out and give other people material gifts. They feel they have to buy a person things in order to prove to him, “Yes, I do love you.” They’re feeling obligated, “I can’t afford it but I’m going to do it because if I don’t then this person will think I don’t love him.” So, this whole mentality exists.
Now this is all based on people thinking, “If such-and-such loves me, then this person will give me something material or that which costs a lot of money. This is the measure of their love.” And this in turn is based on the idea, “Material things will make me happy. Therefore, if such-and-such loves me then he will give me this material thing because he is supposed to want me to be happy.”
But again, we must make this simple point: material things will not make us really happy, therefore, these material gifts have nothing to do whatsoever with actual love.
Someone may love you and he may not give you anything material; and someone may not love you and he may give you all kinds of material things.
For example, the greatest lover of all of us, who is usually forgotten at Christmas time, is Lord Jesus Christ. He is the perfect example of someone who loves all of us. He loves every one of us unconditionally and he is giving us the greatest gift.
He is teaching us that we should love God and that will make us happy. He is giving us perfect knowledge of our identity and relationship with the Father. So Jesus Christ is the perfect example of someone who’s giving us nothing material at all and yet he loves us more than anyone else. So if we study the example of Jesus Christ then we’d understand what actual love is, what actual giving is, and what actual caring for others is.
If we want to give the greatest gift then we should understand that Jesus is giving the greatest gift; we should follow in his footsteps and also pass on this gift. We should give the greatest gift – love for God – to others. This is the real present.
QUESTION: What about a person who thinks that actual concern involves giving material gifts? He may want others and himself to be happy but he just doesn’t know what will make people really happy.
ANSWER: Of course, some individuals are simply in ignorance about these things. A parent for instance, who has a drug-addicted child may say, “Son, we tried to get you everything. We got you a car, clothes, a wonderful house and so many luxuries in life. Now why are you doing this?” The child is simply sitting there shooting heroin. The parent may be concerned with the happiness of the child but the parent just doesn’t know what will make the kid happy. So, the parent should learn from Jesus what the real gift is, what actual love and concern means.
“We should learn from Jesus
what the real gift is…”
Actual love and concern means teaching people who they really are – that they are not the body, that they’re eternal spirit souls; teaching people that they’ll be happy if they develop their love for God; teaching people to sing and chant the names and glories of the Supreme Person; teaching people to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and in this way actually glorify Jesus during Christmas time.
If we realize that Jesus loves us and he’s not giving us anything material, then we will also realize that the whole idea that if someone loves me, then he’ll give me some new bicycle or object, doesn’t have anything to do with real love, real giving or real concern.
QUESTION: It seems like a lot of people have this same idea about God – that unless God gives them some material thing, then God doesn’t love them.
ANSWER: These people are wrongly thinking towards God in the same way that they’re thinking towards other people. It’s their whole outlook in life in general – that material things will make me happy and that therefore anyone who loves me will give me some sort of material enjoyment. Their friend is someone who makes it so they receive some material gain and their enemy is someone who makes it so that they have less material gain. Some of these people will even marry anybody who will help them get material gain and will immediately leave that person when the person no longer gives them material enjoyment.
In the same way, they look at God as their order-supplier. They think, “Material things will make me happy. Therefore, dear God, send me some material things. Send me a house, a car, money; give me good health or whatever so I can enjoy more and more.”
QUESTION: Isn’t this what many so-called educators and so-called religious people are preaching nowadays? Even the merchants are telling us that we will make other people happy if we give them material gifts. These people are telling us that we’ll be happy if we become more attached to and in love with the material world. Aren’t these people to be considered the anti-Christ?
ANSWER: Yes. The anti-Christs or anti-Christians are those who propagate the idea that if you get material things you’ll become happy. In other words, the anti-Christians are those who teach and propagate an idea which is diametrically opposed to the teaching of Jesus, the teaching of the Bhagavad-gita, and the teaching of the Bible. The teaching of the Bhagavad-gita and the teaching of Lord Jesus Christ are the same – that you’ll be happy when you love God and that therefore you should put your energy into developing your love for God; your service to other people should also be primarily directed towards this – making it so that other people can be happy developing their love for God.
“The teaching of Bhagavad-gita
and Lord Jesus is the same”
The anti-Christ is someone who teaches the opposite. I have a quote here taken from the Bible concerning the anti-Christ:
“For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their God is the belly. They glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven.” (Philippians 3:18-20)
So Jesus is saying, “Don’t put your mind on earthly things. Put your mind on God.” Now so many other people, especially the merchants during Christmas time, are telling us that we will be happy by putting our minds, our hearts, and our desires on the material dimension. What they’re teaching is that we’ll be happy loving the world and that we can serve others by buying them things to prove our love for them.
Now Christmas is supposed to be the celebration of Jesus’ appearance day. So these people, who use this day of all days to teach love for mammon, must be seen as the anti-Christs. These anti-Christians have the audacity to mock the birthdate of Lord Jesus Christ who primarily taught love for God. They have such an offensive nature that they choose the birthdate of Jesus to propagate stronger than ever the worship of mammon – love for mammon, attachment to the world – “Put your mind on earthly things. Look at all these goodies. Buy this and buy that.” Without doubt these people must be considered the anti-Christs. They’re simply offering gift-wrapped emptiness, that’s all.
QUESTION: Doesn’t one become an anti-Christ by birth?
ANSWER: That’s nonsense. No one is an anti-Christ eternally by birth. Everyone is a child of God. Now when a servant of God, which we all are, decides not to serve God or when a servant of God preaches something opposed to what God is teaching, then that person acts as the anti-Christ.
For example, I’m a Christian now only because I’m teaching the same thing Jesus is teaching, “Love God. Develop your love for Him and you’ll be happy.” But if tomorrow, I start teaching that you’ll be happy developing your love and attachment to the world, then I’ll be acting as an anti-Christ.
The point to consider now, especially at this time of the year, is who can we trust? Jesus Christ, who is teaching love for God, or the anti-Christians, who are preaching love for mammon?
First of all, we shouldn’t think that Jesus doesn’t want us to be happy. Jesus wants us to be happy and he’s telling us exactly how we will become happy, “My first and foremost commandment is for you to love the Supreme Father with all your heart, mind, and being.” If we do this, Jesus says that we’ll be happy.
Now on the opposite side we have these other people who are saying, “Buy this. Get attached to that. Love matter. Love the world.”
So now it’s a question of faith. Do I have more faith in Jesus or do I have more faith in these other people? In other words, whose teaching should I follow to become happy?
We should analyze their motives. First, we should know that Jesus had nothing to gain. So that I might be happy, he was ready to accept suffering on himself. The reason Jesus appeared on earth was because he loves us unconditionally. The nature of love is that you want to see the ones you love happy. So if we have faith in the fact that Jesus did not come here to cheat us or take something from us then we will be convinced that he wants us to be happy. We can be convinced that whatever instruction he gave me was for the sole purpose of bringing me to the point of happiness – so that I will be happy.
Secondly, we have to consider: Is Jesus an authority? Does he know what he’s talking about?
There is Jesus’ statement:
Also, was Jesus happy within himself? He was obviously so. He was so happy internally that when he knew he was going to leave this world – to which we are so attached – he asked his disciples why they were crying for him,
If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father;
for my Father is greater than I.”
(John 14:27-28)
Jesus was so fulfilled within himself that even while being physically tortured on the cross, he was feeling absolutely no anger or enviousness. He was actually concerned about the welfare of the people who put him on the cross, evidenced by his statement,
(St. Luke 23:24)
So if he was not happy within, how could he be so concerned about the happiness of others? Unhappy people are so self-centred that they’re never concerned about the happiness of others.
We should likewise analyze the motivation of the anti-Christians, especially the merchants who directly contradict Jesus when he says we will not find happiness in things.
Are the merchants happy? Their symptoms of so-called happiness: alcoholism, suicide, cigarette chain-smoking, endless consumption and accumulation of more and more things without ever being satisfied.
They are called merchants and that is what they are because they have nothing to give, they only want to take – that is their business: profiting on others.
By contrast, Jesus is giving himself and his teaching as a gift freely given.
So in which person do we place our trust? Who should we look to for leadership? Pleasure is our goal but where do we find it? Jesus is saying that to be happy we must re-establish our eternal loving relationship with God. Jesus’ point is, “Love God and you will be happy.” The merchants’ point is, “Love these material things and you’ll be happy.” So whom do we believe?
Jesus has given us the greatest gift. Now the question is whether we will receive and pass on this gift or buy from the merchants and give away gift-wrapped emptiness. This is a question people should seriously consider this Christmas season.
from Jesus what the
real gift is ….”
MeditationUK