Normalism

The Christmas season is more or less managed the Middle Way ... from childhood conditioning with the magic of Santa, an old white man with a long white beard, bearing an astonishing resemblance to artist's depictions of God, albeit without the red suit ... and reindeer ... anyway, it must have resonated with plenty of disappointed children, discovering the well meant deception over Santa and leaping into atheism as a result ... maybe ... rejection of Christmas, along with Christianity and the enforced jollity and conspicuous consumption meant various alternative arrangements to avoid it, including working instead, often at premium rates ... on the buses, if memory serves correctly, it was double time plus a day in lieu for a short shift and folks with family often eager to swap shifts ... then there was a trip to the Theravadan Monastery on a snowy day, somehow driving along slippery back roads to arrive and enjoy the tranquillity ... and now integrating the "normal" Christmas Day by helping with the Community Christmas Lunch in the local Church Hall, much appreciated by folks dreading spending the day alone ... not to mention those keen to escape toxic relations ...

The theme of normalism arises during the extended wander on Boxing Day ... body mind noting  the distance around hour three, picking up again at hour four and speeding home for a wonderful expedition along the top of the south side of the Dale and back along by the river for a late lunch after five glorious hours in the mild and sometimes sunny weather ... normalism as a word which popped up without reference to previous known usage has the advantage of flexibility ... dictionary references are vague, some suggesting the word is obsolete, others offering it as a potential new entry into officially recognised linguistic form ... in Wear and Dao it just stands for a process of lazy assumptions about what is acceptable in a given culture and the insidious shaping of stories emerging to describe current delusions to make the psyche content that what has been, is, and seems likely to continue, is within the realm of civilised behaviour. The related word, Normal, of course, has coercive properties in the conditioning of humans ... and maybe the training of animals and plants tamed to serve our needs above their own too ...

The context for this speculation is the long held awareness that what stands for Normal in the world as observed is often unacceptable to sensitive souls and being coerced to believe it is too often leads to disease, physical, mental and spiritual ... though not necessarily in that order ... perhaps the existential pain from living fragmented in the dystopia sets off the addictive behaviours, leading to self-medication with drugs, prescribed or proscribed, booze, sex, shopping and so on ...

Meanwhile, mind turns to a break from the overlong midwinter festivities, the unfinished sitting room and convivial company seems like a good idea ... local Buddhist monastery offers New Year Retreat, but that infers more silence than required, since that is the default setting ... also the routine is in line with the form of Soto Zen, sleeping arrangements austere, expectation of conforming to the norms ... whereas it's the formless which is sought and the Krishnamurti Centre where it is best experienced in simple comfort, the teachings all available and random K types usually happy to explore the important questions like: What is Truth? Who am I? What time's Lunch? and so on ...

And, since it is Normal at this time to visit family, maybe a trip to the family home to see elder sister and brother in law, plus any assorted nephews who may be about ...