Society has transitioned from only celebrating things of the utmost importance, to celebrating everything they possibly can just to get a break from their modern, hectic lifestyle. This is, if you actively participate in the lifestyle and understand how emotionally draining it can be, quite logical.
Stress, although present in one shape or another for as long as there is civilization, has reached, according to researchers, incredibly emotionally taxing levels in the 21st century. Use of antidepressants has rapidly increased – numbers such as 200, 300, 400% can be heard thrown around – and not incorrectly. You know how people nowadays, apparently more often than ever, always seem to lament over their youth, the “simpler, carefree, more innocent times”?
Usually, a good part of it is nothing but nostalgia, the dreamer’s way of celebrating his youth and returning to a time when they were slimmer, more agile, more witty and acute. Whatever you may think of it, there really is some truth to the ‘oh, the simpler times’ adage.
Today, the bombardment of information is incessant.
Everywhere you go, on every screen you face, you will be caught in a maelstrom of data, information, news, threats, catastrophes; social media shows you how great everyone’s life is, the places they’re travelling to while you’re sitting at work, the nice clothes they wear, the makeup they use; increasing expectations, increasing anxiety, offering an unrealistic portrayal of everyday life for 99,9% of the population.
It is exhausting.
Therefore, we celebrate; and we have started celebrating everything we can think of.
Here we bring you 5 new occasions that have recently become fully celebration-worthy.
1. Baby shower for dad
Until recently, baby showers were events exclusive to future mothers. People gather round and bring presents for both the mother and the baby, celebrate birth and support the expecting family. But hey, said the dads, we did play a part in this, somewhat smaller physiologically but still an important part, didn’t we? Why aren’t there baby showers for the father?
We like gifts too—well, our babies do.
Thus, the baby shower for the dad was born. As with the mother, people come together, bring presents, and give advice to the future father. At the end of every shower, the male attendees secretly nod to the father as if acknowledging their success. The father nods back.
2. Divorce party
A divorce is a wonderful event in a person’s life.
People see it as this horrible thing, as an end of an era, as the start of custody battles or alimony payments and never-ending lawyer’s fees. Okay, this is, in fact, all true. More often than not, a divorce is horrible to go through because of the three aforementioned things: legal issues, finance, and the children. However, in and of itself, a divorce is a wonderful event. Two people who are not right for each other anymore (for whatever the reason; from a purely pragmatic perspective of divorce it does not matter whose fault it was in the slightest) are separating. And that’s all there is to it. “Thank you, I liked you, it’s been great, but now it’s time for both of us to move on. We have outgrown each other.”
And don’t you think that warrants a party?
Two people moving on with their lives? It does, it calls for a great, luscious soirée bathed in moderate-to-great amounts of alcohol.
3. Celebrate a Wednesday
A new trend has emerged lately, called Celebrate a Wednesday. When you think of it, it makes as much sense as celebrating Christmas, birthdays, Easter, what have you. You celebrate life.
A Wednesday is just another day when we are alive, when we have the ability to fully enjoy life and everything that life entails. We are awake. We are conscious. Celebrate a Wednesday is a great way to break your workweek in two and make it just a bit more tolerable. Go Wednesday!
Go Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday, for that matter.
4. Apocalyptic events
Supposedly, there were parties and celebrations held throughout the world on 21 December 2012, when the Mayan prophecy about the world coming to an end was supposed to be fulfilled.
We as humans have an innate desire to form groups, to come together, to strive towards different goals as single entities. That is the way it always was, for no mammoth would have been successfully hunted down if there was no joint effort on the humans’ part.
Years 2011 and 2012 were breeding grounds for apocalyptic prophets and theories, although the net result was nothing but a bunch of end-of-the-world parties. Good for you, chaps.
5. Getting fired
It is like retirement come early! The question right now is not whether the person should be worried or not about being fired. The only thing they should worry about is celebrating this glorious transitional phase in their lives.
Just like a divorce, being fired or made redundant is always a good thing. Okay, again, almost always. Granted, the situation can be taken in stride only when the finances are healthy enough for the person and/or the person’s family to survive (and maybe even live a bit) until they find a new job. If that one condition is met, they are good to go. Remember: they were either miserable on the job, so they quit; weren’t good enough for it, so they got fired (which means they weren’t suited for the job anyway, and provides them with an opportunity to give some thought to a new career/field).
It’s the 21st century. Party if you are happy that it’s raining, if you’ve just bought a great handful of bananas down at the store, or because a voice has told you to have a party tonight.
Just do mind the neighbours, please.