Christmas Greetings from Who?

Take a walk along the avenue, peering into the windows of stores, seeing the many signs that Christmas is surely arriving, and greet each other with Merry Christmas. When was that? Why has that become a past pleasantry that no longer sounds or looks the same?

Somehow we have lost the traditions of the past where people really knew what the season was all about. Presents galore and toys that only Santa Claus can produce from the North Pole with many elves busy hammering away and making sure the tinsel will flow at every tree in wonderland and please little children that Christmas must be on Macy’s list of profits.

Open the mailbox and find greetings for the holidays with pictures we’ll treasure for another year. Expect to see Mary and Joseph looking with true worship on their little baby Jesus in the crib. Or a view of angels with their harps held high and the words of “Today in Bethlehem a savior has been born to you.” (cf Lk 2: 11). Instead, to my wondering eyes should appear pictures of family-selfies in all their smiles that say "here we are to you.”

Is there anything wrong with getting an update on the family or friends especially at Christmas? Of course not. But to whom are we sending greetings via the US Postal service? What happened to Christ or using an old verse from the past; “Keep Christ in Christmas.”

What happened as we see now views of people making certain they have selfies for all to see and promote themselves for the world to see? It appears to be a habitual entity that has entered our personal lives and now is controlling the very sense of individuality, losing the desire to learn from the masters, all from the past.

There was a period of time when the traditions meant a lot but have also begun to drift away by AI entering our way of understanding and reaching the future through our own initiatives. Instead of using the gift of wanting to become better through study, hard work, and accepting past mistakes as a way to move ahead, Artificial Intelligence tells us to let a computer decide our future.

Selfies are ok for a point of interest, but not the purpose that replaces our treasured traditions and the reasons why we still worship Christ, his Incarnation for our salvation, and the freedoms we hand on to our children. Without those attributes of our God-given faith, AI will certainly replace everything we hold sacred. AI may have some good uses, but to rely on that alone is the same as ouija boards and Tarots. All condemned by God and still are forbidden since their essence attempts to replace God.

Ralph B. Hathaway