Thursday 9 December 2010

Flashmob Messiah


So it's Christmas, and The Messiah will be enforced everywhere. Must be Hell if you don't believe, or aren't Christian or whatever, and it turns the cultural scene into a desert. But Messiah fixation has relatively little to do with religion.  In fact the commercialism that "Xmas" means today has nothing to do with a baby in a humble stable who went on to smash the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple. I'd suggest merchants needed moneychangers and business is part of life, but Jesus's point is that some things are beyond commerce. Same principles apply to other things than religion. Like art.

Anyway. the Messiah thing, done with warmth and humour can be genuine in the right situation. Fifteen million people have seen the youtube sensation of a flashmob in a food mall where the "shoppers" suddenly start to sing, popping up among the crowd. The singers aren't Evangelists, and they aren't doing it for money or self promotion, just for the joy of singing. I love the clip because it's unpretentious, filled with joy and honesty, which for me anyway is the real spirit of belief of all kinds. Imagine to be eating Arby's gunk and someone next to you turns into an angel! "My God" is the word, whatever God or non-God you follow. Out of the banality of life, something magical. That's why flashmob Messiah is so much fun, it's simple, not silly. Joy for the sake of joy. Please pass this on, it's better than a Xmas card.

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