Lars Domino - Det finns ännu tid för hopp [Christmas psalm]

[oscillator]

So...it is still that time of year and this is the 3rd track from Lars Domino's Christmas album...

After writing this, I recognised I have been working a lot with my relation to the church. I am not a believer in the, how should I put it, traditional sense, still I can feel that today, we lack a sense of the "spiritual" side of things.

Humanity, and I mean the rich minority, we don't take care of neither ourselves nor the world. And I have, for several years, felt a hopelesness that is not only stemming from a hate of myself, but also from the lack of hope for the future of people that I care about. I could easily sacrifice my life for a higher purpose, be it a socialist egalitarian revolution or a kind of awakening of empathy.

Bah, my english is too lacking for this, and I am writing this in what we elderly people in Sweden call "vargatimmen" (the hour of the wolf), when we really shouldn't be writing anything at all, because it always ends up too pathetic.

So. Not many here understands Swedish. But for what it is worth, here comes

Lars Domino - Det finns ännu tid för hopp

Bandcamp: https://larsdomino.bandcamp.com/track/hopp

And for what it is worth. The swedish protestant church is looking for new psalms (is this the right english word? the "hymn book") so I sent them this for the next edition. It is a process that will take approx 10 years...but what the heck. Lars Domino should be kept alive after I am dead. Somehow, that is the sole purpose of Lars Domino...

[Impostor]

[..] I can feel that today, we lack a sense of the "spiritual" side of things.

Oh well, personally I am totally anti-spiritual, and if anything, I think humanity lacks a firm grip on reality. But I do share your worries about the future. I just think "salvation" can only come through knowledge, but realistically, I don't hold humanity in all that high a regard, so I think we're doomed anyway.

Ah, good old christmas mood :)

I'll listen to your track later today..

Update: Nice song, but I also listened to Wavrinskys Plats, which I musically prefer to the hymn. Would have loved female vocals there too!

[oscillator]

Oh well, personally I am totally anti-spiritual, and if anything, I think humanity lacks a firm grip on reality. But I do share your worries about the future. I just think "salvation" can only come through knowledge, but realistically, I don't hold humanity in all that high a regard, so I think we're doomed anyway.

I unfortunately can't say I disagree, rather, I chose to disagree because it is to heavy a burden to bear, what with a daughter and a dog and people around me who just must survive. Wishful thinking yes...

Update: Nice song, but I also listened to Wavrinskys Plats, which I musically prefer to the hymn. Would have loved female vocals there too!

Thanks a lot @Impostor ! Everything with Kajsa in it is better, I know.

[Rainmak3r]

I don't understand Swedish, and as an atheist I can't say I relate to your spiritual struggles (while I do relate to the philosophical dilemmas you raise), but on the musical side of things, the track you shared is beautiful in its minimalism, and does give me those vibes of hopelessness you described. Hope you're not feeling as hopeless now as in "vargatimmen"

[oscillator]

I don't understand Swedish, and as an atheist I can't say I relate to your spiritual struggles (while I do relate to the philosophical dilemmas you raise), but on the musical side of things, the track you shared is beautiful in its minimalism, and does give me those vibes of hopelessness you described. Hope you're not feeling as hopeless now as in "vargatimmen"

Thank you very much @Rainmak3r for those kind words! I listened to your album yesterday, twice, it is sooo great, and now I will listen to your new track!

[folderol]

Lovely seasonal song. I don't need to understand the words - the feeling comes through anyway.

[oscillator]

Lovely seasonal song. I don't need to understand the words - the feeling comes through anyway.

That is great praise, thanks a lot @folderol!

[Basslint]

After writing this, I recognised I have been working a lot with my relation to the church. I am not a believer in the, how should I put it, traditional sense, still I can feel that today, we lack a sense of the "spiritual" side of things.

Humanity, and I mean the rich minority, we don't take care of neither ourselves nor the world. And I have, for several years, felt a hopelesness that is not only stemming from a hate of myself, but also from the lack of hope for the future of people that I care about. I could easily sacrifice my life for a higher purpose, be it a socialist egalitarian revolution or a kind of awakening of empathy.

You know that I too am concerned about the state of our society because we've talked. As for myself, I believe in a spiritual awakening which will make us confront the problems and contradictions which characterize our society, rather than look away from them our build more convincing lies to justify them. I think the role of religion is to get people back to God, not to ideas of god or ideologies. Religion should help people meet God, in all dimensions: emotional, spiritual, psychological and physical. I am just trying to badly put into modern jargon what Jesus said when he said "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30). IMHO, we can't be happy just with the god of good feelings, the god of temporal peace, the god of beauty, the god of social justice, the god of fun, the god of philosophy, etc. All those things are good but not all that there is to God and could even lead into bad things like consumerism, self-absorption, objectification of people, war. One has to personally encounter the one God, whom transcends reality and at the same time is spiritually and physically present here and now, until the end of times. Where do you encounter such a God? From the Gospel (so, assuming you met Jesus), it's pretty clear that it's a place called Church. Now you can ask yourself, which Church? If you are like me, you accept Jesus and his Church but have a hard time thinking that the one you were baptized in is the right one. There are thousands! Well, in my case I came to the conclusion that it was; my mental side (including very human sciences like history and archaeology) under the guidance of the Holy Spirit helped me to discern the Catholic Church as that one Church. Since then, I did not magically stop worrying about this world but at the very least I came to know this great thing called hope. Hope took me way beyond my wildest dreams. It makes my life full of meaning and wonder, something I easily forgot when I dabbled in post-modern skepticism and deconstruction. Suffering and evil remain a great mystery in this world but despite all my struggles with them, I know for sure I won't regret my choice of saying "yes" to Jesus when I will be giving my last breaths. I can't imagine doing anything else in my life than following Jesus, even if I don't do it very well

That said, I like this more traditional Christmas sound and I think you sang it with heart and in true Scandinavian style, as far as I can tell from my experiences with such music

[oscillator]

Thank you @Basslint! Although I can't really "identify" in the quest for a god/God entity, I can at least identify in the search for hope. That is a most meaningful word.

I appreciate your response.

Your friend,

Staffan