Conforming to Stereotypes

What should I write about? Bottled water? East Asians and their unfaltering commitment to University libraries? How about the quite mysterious differences between satsumas, tangerines and clementines? Does anybody know the truth?

As I'm Jewish, I'm going to conform to stereotypes, and talk about something Jewish. Passover was celebrated by many Jews around the world earlier this week. For those who might not know, I can tell you what it's all about briefly. The important rules are these
1. To eat nothing 'leavened' for 8 days
2. Try your best not to break rule 1.

Every year, at the same time on the Jewish calendar often falling around Easter time on the Roman calendar, Jewish families sit round a table and partake in the 'Seder Service'. If you live outside of Israel, the (same) service is read two nights in a row. That means 44 times I have listened to this story. I'll be honest, it does get quite repetitive. The ending isn't all that great, and the plot is fairly predictable.

SPOILER ALERT

During Passover, we learn of how Moses convinced Pharaoh, with some help from the Almighty who runs Heaven (I say SOME help, it was quite a bit more. Apparently, so I'm led to believe, he hit Egypt with 10/50/200/250 plagues depending on who you listen to), all with the intention of letting the Jews out of Egypt because, and I quote, 'heavy bondage' had been imposed on them (that part always makes me chuckle...bondage...ha).

These quite elaborate events are mixed in with commentaries from a variety of rabbis who, over the years, have interpreted certain bits and bobs about the 'exodus', or flight from Egypt, as it is called. We also drink some wine, have a bit of parsley, drink some more wine, munch on a cracker here, pour the wine, nibble a cracker there, drink wine, tuck into a bit of egg in salt water (which is actually rather tasty) and eventually we eat! Not long after the meal there is a bit more singing, praying, and of course wine drinking, and everybody goes home full up and merry on kosher wine. The End.

The only problem is that I don't believe in any of it. I don't believe in God, I don't believe in a higher power, and I certainly don't believe that if there, for whatever reason, IS a god, then he isn't going to be too bothered if the toothpaste I use is specifically Kosher for Passover. At least I hope not.

I'm an adult. Why do I still rock up? Family. It has to be. There is nothing more important in life to me than my family. How often do we get to sit round a dinner table all together and enjoy each others company? Not enough.

There may be times throughout the year when a few of us are together. A cousin here, an aunty there, but all of us? Only during the Jewish festivals do we ALL try our best get together. If we didn't celebrate any religious festivals together, what would we celebrate? When would I catch up with my cousins? If I choose to live a secular life, what would inspire me to bring all the family round? A royal wedding? How many of those do we get, worthy of celebration that is?

Funnily enough, I think that religion is a great excuse for us to celebrate together, as a family. It would be nice to think that we would naturally make more effort, but I don't think we would. Blooming' technology is making that hard enough. With children not knowing that at their age Mozart composed his first symphony rather than getting three stars of all the Angry Bird levels and city bankers thinking that art is something they have to purchase rather than explore and create themselves? Don't even get me started on Blackberries...

Maybe I should just peal this satsuma sitting in front of me.

At least I think it's a satsuma...