Haven't I heard that before?

I just started reading "Freakonomics" and nothing has shattered my world so far. I've only just begun, but most of the anecdotes are familiar to me (or anyone who reads socially conscious or personal finance publications- an admittedly seldom comination).

Here are some examples:

-Real estate agents list their houses and sell them for more than you do- no shit, Sherlock. They're trying to make a buck off of you like every other "expert". They'll forgo $150 of commission to earn you $15,000 in favour of making a quick sale.

-Take a crack-dealin' gang's structure and put it up against most small to medium business' organizational charts and they will look pretty much the same. Ever see "The Wire"? Can you say "Stringer Bell"? Why wouldn't an economic system such as capitalism, which affects ALL commerce, reach out into the ghettos? "The Projects" should be bastions of socialist experimentation, but they aren't. People are busy trying to survive there in the easiest way possible, just like everywhere else. To run counter to the system is harder than running alongside it. The roads are already paved.

I'm waiting to see what comes next. I am underwhelmed so far by such a widely-hyped book. It's like the economics version of "the Da Vinci Code".

Adventskranz

Adventskranz - This year, I think I am going to try to maintain this tradition which is a typical German thing. It is a synthesis of pagan and christian traditions. Wreaths of straw and evergreens graced houses and barns to protect them in winter. The ring symbolizes wholeness and enternity and the greens and berries symbolize nature and rebirth.

I used to cut greens for my mom every Advent and for some reason this simple tradition has really captured my heart. I want to go out in the snow and cut greens with my kids someday. It's a bringing of nature into the home and a reflection on the various meanings of this time of year. This tradition is also really close to home for me: the modern interpretation was re-popularized in the early 1800s in Hamburg in a home for homeless childen and youth "das Rauhe Haus". Candles were lit during the Advent period and special occasions were held in the home. The tradition later spread to Berlin.

There are aspects of having been raised Lutheran that are inescapable. Advent is traditionally a season of getting ready for the festival of "Heilig Abend" and a time of reflection and generosity. This is a time where you help your neighbour with the hardships of winter.

This time of year, my collective guilt makes me want to do work. Last year, I was a bit down on my luck this time of year and trying to get people to vote in the poorest neighbourhood in my city. I spent time in missions and ate meals with the volunteers. I watched them give people soup and socks. I'm always shocked when I see self-professed christians who think it is more important to go to church than to do christianly work. People who help without judgement impress me more than anything. There are people who volunteer to help residents of the downtown eastside soak their feet twice a week. I remember a certain story about Christ washing the feet of his disciples... Yet for many people it seems more important to hurry up and shop and go to church on Sundays to absolve the guilt of being judgmental and selfish. I am not even sure I am going to light candles on my Advent wreath on Sundays. I am not one of those people.

A D V E N T
(von Rainer Maria Rilke)

Es treibt der Wind im Winterwalde
die Flockenherde wie ein Hirt
und manche Tanne ahnt wie balde
sie fromm und lichterheilig wird;
und lauscht hinaus. Den weißen Wegen
streckt sie die Zweige hin - bereit
und wehrt dem Wind und wächst entgegen
der einen Nacht der Herrlichkeit.