The African-American holiday of Kwanzaa celebrates the principles of Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith.
What principles would you celebrate if you were creating your own seven day holiday?
Let’s see. Personal empowerment, free of guilt, more responsibilities in church. Vocal training to improve the range of my voice & breathing, improved dog training, improved family interactions, more prayer to accomplish my goals.
Funny you should ask that. It brought to mind that a rabbi I knew in Seattle had a different message for every day of Hannukah and I never really thought of it like the concentration required for Kwanzaa. So this year I lit the candles and didn’t bother to dig out his thoughts for each day. Bummer!
Kwanzaa appeals to me in its focuses on worthwhile ways of living. I have thought, regretfully, of it applying to others and not to me. I must think about this more and perhaps employ it in my 2015 planning! If, however, I am going to choose seven ways to live my life with better outcomes right now, I’ll give it a try! (1)Understanding those with less than I have(2) Doing something about that (3) Being ready to help friends right then in time of need (4) Realizing that it is I who am responsible for my health in many ways (5) Considering that we all live in a global world now and must realize its implications
(6) Taking time to do activities that I truly enjoy and
(7) Knowing that others who are being born, growing, maturing and becoming adults as leaders and followers in the world will be the recipients of our todays.