For people who are not Christian, this holiday has very little to do with celebrating the birth of Christ, and while Christians may lament this, holidays should be inclusive. Inclusive, of course, having a much more expansive meaning for vegans than non-vegans. And while I've never given the word Xmas all that much thought (or use, except when I didn't have enough space), I've been seeing it a fair bit lately and all of a sudden its appropriateness struck me with full force today.
Because that X really does sum up what happens, doesn't it?
Even folk who believe that a birth should be the focus of this event, do so by reveling in the deaths of billions of sentient beings. We literally snuff out the lives of countless others, putting a big ol' X through their existence (see how that word has an x in it too?), and think nothing of it. Most holidays involve the deaths of other beings on a massive scale as well, but I've never seen the hypocrisy of Christmas as a religious holiday quite as clearly until now.
X brings to mind:
- ex
- cross
- cancelling out
- unknown value
- a dead cartoon character's eyes when marked with x's
- and incorrect when used as the opposite of a check mark
X, one letter with multiple meanings, including a literal death sentence on a day that for many humans is supposed to be about birth. How odd. How sad.
