Mardi Gras: A Day Without Guilt

Alright, I'll come right out and say it: I'm Catholic. I'm not a bible thumper, in fact I'm far from it — I usually only go to mass for Christmas and Easter. But, as lapsed a Catholic as I am, I am not unaware of Mardi Gras.

When I was in my early twenties, Mardi Gras was nothing more than an excuse to have a party. A Really. Big. Party. I'm sure that for many people of all ages Mardi Gras still is nothing more than an excuse to have a party, and who am I to judge? After all, the tradition of Mardi Gras, Carnival, Shrove Tuesday, or whatever it may be called in your culture is one of grand celebration. There's music, dancing, costumes, food, and all sorts of substances — both legal and illegal — that are sure to aid in the making of questionable decisions.

But this year feels different for some reason. Maybe it's because this year is different. A year ago my b-school classmates and I were asking ourselves seemingly hypothetical questions like "what if bigger banks collapse," "what if the economy keeps losing jobs at this rate," or "what if the stock market keeps declining," all the while assuring ourselves and each other that the worst-case scenario was unlikely to happen.

Well, happen it did. Last month alone the U.S. economy coughed up another half million jobs, well-established investment banks have tumbled before our eyes, and many more banks and corporations are seemingly desperate for federal bailout funds lest we risk the unemployment rate soaring even further.

So, perhaps for some a big party is exactly what's in order given the times. I beg to differ, however. I think what we need — what we really need right now — is each other. I'm not saying that we should all have a hippie love-fest a la 1969, but I do think that we need to have a coming together of sorts. Because let's face it: the guy down the street who just got laid off is probably not going out tonight to the local mega-chain bar/restaurant to get hammered on overpriced drinks. And that young wife or young mother whose husband is deployed overseas? She's probably not going to be showing her breasts to anyone in exchange for beads. But does that make either of them less deserving of a good time or the company of friends and neighbors today? I think not.

I propose that today, in light of the current economic strife that in some way affects us all, that we all seek to find what's good, and worth celebrating, in ourselves and in each other. So maybe you shouldn't go down to the mega-chain bar/restaurant to drink your face off tonight, and maybe you shouldn't show off those breasts for some plastic multi-colored beads (especially if you're a guy who could be Chewbacca's stunt double without a costume — no one needs to see that). Instead, maybe you should stay home and invite over that guy you know who just got laid off or that young woman whose husband is deployed or that brother or sister with whom you haven't spoken in just a little bit too long... to dance, and sing, and laugh, and celebrate the things that are still good in this world today: its people.

Brian
iamguiltyof.com