Truth or Consequences

Christmas time is fast approaching, and we'll hear a lot of feel-good "True spirit of Christmas" stories, in addition to hearing "The Gift" played over and over on more FM radio stations than we knew existed (really, wouldn't "Blue Christmas" be a better song to overplay?), but how many people really mean it when they say "It's not about getting gifts"?



I'm pretty sure most people's benevolence is a lot like that of the cat in this video -- purely a matter of convenience, and liable to end with a sudden swipe at the "others" with whom we share our time and space. We wish that it were not so, and yet every religion worthy of the name has felt it necessary to express an injunction against unkindness, and to promote that wild and crazy idea that we ought to all treat each other with dignity and respect.

Gautama Buddha, Mohammed, Moses, Jesus, Lao Tse, all have expressed variations of the Golden Rule. Even Myrtle thinks Christmas should be more than just a commercial opportunity.

But hey, who are we to judge? We let our lead hen Duck wake everybody up at 5:00 in the morning with her ridiculous crowing.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

And happy farming!