Where's Linus when you need him?

So...
I have now cried twice, in front of my students. I am a person prone to tears when I experience something beautiful, but I am also brought to weeping by very ugly things.

For example...the teachers asked me for a Christmas lesson. I have been pretty cynical, and I can admit, a little too negative about the blatant commercialism of Christmas in Japan. For example, KFC used a marketing campaign a while ago in which it described fried chicken as America's choice for Christmas dinner. Though that may be the case for some families, I don't ever remember fried chicken being on the list of deeply rooted Christmas traditions (not that America treats Christmas with much less commercialism, but at least we hide it behind a kind of self-righteous and slight attention to the original story of Christmas-whether Christian or not). Anywho, many KFC's in Tokyo have waiting lists for fried chicken dinners for Christmas and several teachers were shocked that in my family's history we usually ate a xmas ham. Not all Japanese people think this, but it is a popular misconception. It is similar to the assumption that all of us are Christians.

I have also been amazed at the fervor in which the storefronts and residences decorate for Christmas. I got this crazy feeling that something had invaded Japan. Like the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. It is something that benefits only the manufacturers and cheapens what I will again righteously call the "Christmas Spirit".

This being said, I thought to myself, "You want a xmas lesson? You'll GET one!" Thankfully one of my JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English) is a big Lennon fan and also pretty conscientious. I got my hands on a copy of Lennon's "Happy Christmas, War is Over", and the Japanese version (which kinda blows, but any cover of a John Lennon song is hard for me to listen to), and the recently made music video for "happy Christmas". This video is basically clip after clip of war zones, post-war zones, dead people, children without legs, mines, tears, graves, babies holding guns...you know...holiday cheer. And I wrote a lesson surrounding the song and Ghandi's quote, "An eye for an eye will make us all blind."

Needless to say, teachers embraced it with hesitation, and the students were deafeningly silent after watching the video. I for one had forgotten about some of the scenes in the video and cried. The student sitting beside me was lost as to what to do. Most Japanese teachers maintain such a calm, resilient omnipresence in the classroom...I think I made the poor girl shit herself.

Finally I asked one of my JTEs if it was too much for the students. And her answer surprised me. She said it was good to show the students because Japanese people are sheltered from those kind of images and war and injustice is far from anyone's mind. I told her it is the same in most peaceful or powerful countries. If it doesn't touch us or the ones we love, we tend to ignore it, or push it aside because it is easier to forget it than to deal with it.

Talking with Luke, another ALT in Shinji, he said that being here has given him the opportunity to take a hiatus from the kind of distractions that allow him to avoid solid introspection. He is beginning to understand what kind of person he wants to be and how he can go forth and seek it. I find I am often in a similiar state of mind. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that I want to be involved in educating American youth about multiculturalism and / or the science of politics in the US and / or what power they have to irradicate injustice and what responsibility we have as a SPECIES to end war and rid the world of nuclear weapons. (Speaking of which, do yourself a favor and take a look at the celebrating Sagan site, there is a link to your right --> )

These are not new thoughts, nor profound. In fact, I do not pretend that I am even remotely educated in any of it.
My point exactly.

I hope that I didn't take away from the cheer of the holiday for my students. I just wanted to show them something that wasn't popularizing icons and themes that promote consumerism during a time when we should be celebrating kinship and generosity.

By the way:

Merry Christmas!!

Really, I'm not being sarcastic. If I say anything at all this Christmas, it is that I hope my friends and family feel love, find love, give love and give themselves to peace. If that isn't what this holiday is about, I don't know anything.

Whether you take stake in the bible or not, this story is about hope:

"And there were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them,

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
Luke 2:8-14

(...and women)
Never thought you'd see me quote the bible on my blog, huh? For all you who are squirming in your chair, you can think I'm quoting a Charlie Brown movie if it makes you feel better.