Christmas Truce and 2017

There are fireworks going about as I write this. I, quite in a muddled-headed manner, had forgotten, every now and then that it was New Year’s Eve – just every now and then. I did not entirely forget and I did remember a few central matters. And I remember, quite clearly, the previous New Year’s Eve’ (and that did not just happen in my head – Professor Dumbledore!). In fact, I had been grinning about the same while out on a walk in the evening…so maybe my own subliminal worries about progressive dementia are unfounded.

I remember my best friend saying that the German language is a language that is beautiful to the ears (he used different words) – I don’t quite remember when exactly that was though. I remember – well let’s say I remember a little more but I do know that I can now never again call the German language only a marching and military and merely peremptory language after chancing upon this.

The carol is my all-time favourite. But I had never before heard the German version. And that led me to glance through the comment-section. It is peculiar how memories are stored in the mind and forgotten and then retrieved. I sometimes think that psychologists – no matter how many studies they conduct on human memories (among other matters) – should do lots more studies. And I keep wishing the psychologists “good luck”.

I was reminded of the story I had first heard when I could not have been older than 8 – about The Christmas Truce during World War I. But I had forgotten all about it through the passing years. It is not that I have not thought about or worried or brooded over war and given the two Wars, WWII and even the Cold War had always stuck into me far more until I was over 26 – but the Christmas Truce! It is not only about war and killing and loss of life and meaninglessness and the utterly ridiculous nature of war per se – although of course one cannot miss any of that – but it is about a bit of hope and faith and camaraderie and comradeship and even the bare hints of possible friendship across fire-lines and in the bleakest of times. And given that I am an obsessed creature (I have had to finally accept my best friend and Fimh’s judgment on the matter of being obsessed) – I sort of hunted about. Anyone who is interested can go to the Wikipedia page of course. Here is a link of a Sainsbury grocery stores ad – a recreation of what "may-have-transpired" during Christmas 1914.

And it is very soon to be 2018. And we are still here. Human beings, animals, other life-forms, the environment, and our planet – we are here. Humanity is here and we, even in individual or shared spots manage to touch bliss – well, maybe in our minds and for bits of time in the virtual and real world. So maybe it is not a bad thing to keep one's faith and hope alive, and to believe in God – whatever one's conception of God might be. Beats many of the things that are currently viewed to be "better" or "progressive" or "holy" or "developed". 

I think I will go back to reading the interesting, perplexing and even (pleasantly) infuriating book I had been before this post becomes longer than a mile. Wishing you a happy year ahead.