Today is the Chinese New Year and according to Chinese astrology, the Year of the Snake. I thank the Walt Disney artists for creating a serpent that can arose feelings other than loathing! It helps that actress Lucy Liu made the character of Viper so lovable in the Kung Fu Panda movies. If we have to have a year of the snake, it would be nice to have a snake like Viper in mind!
However, I do take exception to the philosophy of all astrology that our personalities are formed and predetermined by the year or month in which we were born. That flies in the face of everything I believe about God-given agency and personal responsibility.
Have you ever broken the word responsibility down to its roots? A good friend (and a shared grandma to several of my grandchildren) posted this sign of Facebook. I loved it because that is what responsibility and agency are all about: the ability to choose how you will respond in any given situation. We humans cause ourselves a lot of heartache and grief when we forget that! When we blame other people, different circumstances, or the "sign" under which we were born for our problems, we will never solve our problems, never be productive, never be happy, and never be mature, responsible people.
So today, as I serve Chinese food for dinner, I will remember this important truth: I cannot always choose the circumstances in which I find myself; I can always choose how I will respond to those circumstances. Today, I am thankful for my agency which allows me to do so.
Text copyright Gebara Education February 2013
Picture of Viper from Disney
Picture of poster from Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment