Recycling Ideas, Learning and The Christmas Spirit

CAYR (Christmas All Year Round)

Recyclng ideas or reinforcement of learning works for the positive when the ideas and learning are positive. When otherwise are otherwise. The learning cycle can have an upward or downward spiral which can evolve like a virus creating immunity. Bacteria can multiply in the psyche and are not always the good kind that keep us healthy and protect us from the bad.

Gladwell's ideas of epidemics mentioned in a previous post are much like Dickens' in A Christmas Carol :

"It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humour."

(Dickens, 1843)

Leading up to Christmas, I was ill and not feeling at my best. So, when one day after another, one man screams blue-murder and another says he hates Christmas and another stares vacantly at me not even able to comprehend its Christmas, I try to put up barriers agains infection and instead try to spread good humour, however hard it feels. 

Its not just the person who doesn't have a certain belief or tradition in their culture,  or a moaner or groaner or the 'Scrooge' saying 'Bah Humbug'. Many blame the loss of 'Christmas Spirit' on the 'business' of Christmas. The so-called commercialisation of Christmas is regarded as one of the great epidemics of our time. So is the answer to the problem simple? Not to get involved in it...be part of the solution and not the problem? As Dickens' Ghost of Christmas Past said of what we should make our business:

"Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!"
(Dickens, 1843) 

One of the men, who I had seen become disillusioned over time, complained of people wishing him Happy Christmas when the rest of the year they ignored him. We talked of people having the Christmas spirit all year. Of seeing the caring behaviour of people at Christmas-time being an all year-round norm.

As Scrooge learned from his ghosts so too will I try to learn from mine and say as he did:

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."
(Dickens, 1843)

So the answer: To recycle Christmas all year long. Not just the tree and cards and empty bottles, but the feelings of love and joy and caring for those around us. 

CAYR 
 
 Christmas All Year Round

or more simply put...

  Caring All Year Round