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By David Magallanes / Guest contributor

Gray Thursday, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone this year — labels that were meaningless only several years ago when a commercialized Christmas season was not as hyped and certainly not as soulless as it is today.

I can still remember when my father would take me out to the Sears parking lot on Sundays to learn how to drive because — as unfathomable as it may sound today — Sears was closed on Sundays and the parking lot was empty. In fact, most establishments were closed on Sundays because it was deemed appropriate. A “day of rest” was actually recognized as something important for our physical and spiritual health.

What we have today is rapidly devolving into a completely out-of-control, non-stop commercial frenzy that tears away from families those who prefer to spend hours seeking out “bargains” that hardly compensate them for their time doing so, as well as those who must work to serve the hunting masses.

Will we ever return to a time when we were forced to rest or spend precious time with family and friends because all the distractions that we have today were unavailable? My instincts tell me that this is not likely.

We have to ask, as a nation, “What are we becoming?” The answer lies in the stars. Or is it in the shopping malls?

— David Magallanes is a writer, speaker and retired professor of mathematics. You may contact him at adelantos@msn.com.

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Nuevas tradiciones familiares para las fiestas

Por David Magallanes / Columnista invitado

Jueves Gris, Viernes Negro y Lunes Cibernético ya quedaron atrás este año—etiquetas que no tenían sentido hace apenas varios años cuando una temporada navideña comercializada no era tan hiperactiva, y por cierto tampoco era tan desalmada como lo es hoy día.

Aún recuerdo cuando mi padre me llevaba al estacionamiento de Sears los domingos para que yo aprendiera a manejar un coche porque—por increíble que parezca ahora—Sears cerraba los domingos y el estacionamiento fue vacío.  De hecho, la mayoría de los establecimientos fueron cerrados los domingos porque se consideraba apropiado.  Un “día de descanso”, por cierto, fue reconocido como algo sumamente importante para nuestra salud física y espiritual.

Lo que estamos presenciando hoy día está devolviendo rápidamente hacia un frenesí comercial, fuera de control e interminable.  Esta situación separa de las familias aquellos que prefieren pasar horas en busca de “ahorros” que escasamente los recompensan por su tiempo durante el esfuerzo, tanto como los trabajadores que están obligados a servir a las masas cazadoras.

¿Será posible que algún día lejano regresemos a aquella época cuando estábamos obligados a descansar o a pasar tiempo precioso con la familia y amistades porque todas las distracciones que tenemos hoy no fueron disponibles?  Mis instintos me dicen que eso no es muy probable.

Tenemos que preguntarnos a nosotros mismos, ciudadanos de este país: “¿En qué nos estamos convirtiendo?”  La respuesta se encontrará en las estrellas.  ¿O será en los centros comerciales?

– David Magallanes es un escritor, orador y profesor jubilado de matemáticas.  Se puede comunicar con él por e-mail a: adelantos@msn.com

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