zipferlake

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On a rainy and cold Monday morning I dozed off on the tram as I was tired. Physically tired from the weekend with the family. Mentally tired from all that is going on in the World. Tired from the sickness that seems to be spreading across the world since Covid 19 had hit us and left again. A sickness that is making people ever more aggressive and less open to the other, the foreign, the unknown.
And when I opened my eyes again I saw that it is that time of the year again. Sinterklaas¹ is in town with „the Pieten“ and while I had thought that the blackfacing was at least gone in the bigger cities there it was again. My heart sank and I recalled the conversation I overheard some years ago of someone asking a person of colour if they would come today with their children to the jolly „Intocht“ (the traditional arrival by boat) of Sinterklaas. They seemed to know each other well, but this question left the person of colour flabbergasted, asking back „Are you seriously asking me that question? Seriously?“.
And indeed, I did not see many people of colour at the arrivals of Sinterklaas I had been to and neither on the streets. I am quite sure that one prefers to avoid being mistaken or called „Zwarte Piet“ by a child or worse an adult thinking this was funny. And then hear the excuses and words of „comfort“ that this would be an honour.
So how about Thanksgiving, would that be a better tradition to exchange this one for? In my home country Germany we do have „Erntedank“ which is more or less the same origin. I make a mental note that I need to ask this to a dear friend in the US and look deeper into this matter as well.

My children used to love Sinterklaas and I would not want to take these memories from them, but how much tradition can we keep if it is hurting others so deeply?
Luckily they have found out that it’s all a big theatre play by almost everyone in this country and now they start asking the right questions and we can have a healthy dialogue.
Will this be enough to make for a better future?

And then again I realise how little I believe in god today. And all that matters is that we endure what is right now and do our best to come to better terms. If we could only start listening to each other again. And change our traditions that they make us embrace each other. For it is all connected and we are all part of everything that lives. I do not need to believe in god to see this as the miracle it is. Though I hope never to forget that the pain I may cause others and may it be without knowing is ultimately hurting myself. I can only listen and observe further and deeper where I might be still in the wrong as it is also very painful to admit that one gets hurt by very silly stereotypes. I have pushed down such feelings almost all my life myself.

And if I drive someone over their foot they might get seriously injured, it does not matter too much for the foot and the person if this was an accident or on purpose. I pledge to be as cautious with words as I am in the physical world not to hurt anybody but to heal.

God, bad, it’s the mind

It all does never matter

For the universe

Jan H. Hellberg (20th November 2023)

And a Very Happy Thanksgiving across the Atlantic!

This Monday it was time for a Haibun in the DVerse Poets Pub! Frank J. Tassone hosts for the dVerse Poets Pub the Haibun Monday, and challenged us to a thoughtful reflection on Thanksgiving.

¹ Sinterklaas is the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas of Myra, the „patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, unmarried people, and students in various cities and countries around Europe.“

~ von zipferlake - 21. November 2023.

Veröffentlicht in Gedichte
Schlagwörter: dVerse, Jan H. Hellberg, Tradition