Now I am not against drinking beer, but there is so much we can learn from the Irish. One thing is that the Irish have been a people that enjoy the company of others. Their gift of hospitality can be found in their pubs, their stories and their music. They seem to always have a drink ready for you, a story to tell and music to listen to and dance.
I have been enjoying the Dropkick Murphy's and Flogging Molly today. Although they are both more punk than traditional Irish or Celtic music, it does make me think about how simple the Irish are in their lives. They work hard, and then gather together at the local pub to enjoy community, tell stories (both real and long), catch up with each and lift a drink. It is something that we have not figured out here in the United States.
We get together to get wasted, or to blow of steam, but we don't regularly get together for community, to talk, trade stories, enjoy music, etc. If there is one thing that you should think about taking away from this year's Feast of St Patrick, maybe it is make a decision to get together together in public with friends and family on a regular basis, maybe weekly.
And don't let the gatherings be for the adults only, bring the children along. Let them see that living is not done in private but in public. Let them tell stories, let them show off their new creations, and maybe they will have some thing to teach us.
Yes, it is St Patrick's Day, a day to celebrate the Irish. But let's learn from them and maybe be like them more often then on this day.
Slainte
TH
Good post! You make a fabulous point about our failure as a society to really connect. We have Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Blogs, etc, yet we remain primarily superficial.
ReplyDeleteI say we be like the Irish - gather together in a pub to eat, drink, and be merry. We should trade more than horoscopes and silly status updates. :)