This was a bitterly cold day. Perhaps not that cold in absolute terms - it was about -10C in the afternoon - but it was windy and felt very cold as just a day prior it was +10C. And it rained, heavily, too as a storm passed through the area.
Meanwhile, on that day before one of the key holidays in this country and in many other parts of the world, this odd-looking cloud formation that looked like a mix of smoke and weak northern fire.
All the water that fell from the sky the day before rapidly dissipated. Streets were mostly dry, with perfect visibility.
The few puddles that remained froze solid. This one was a few centimeters deep. In less than a day, it turned into a mass of sold ice.
The day that followed marked the day when, according to the Bible and many other records, Jesus Christ was born. Some believe him to have been the son of God, some believe him to just be a man, some doubt whether he existed in the first place. Whatever the case may be the ideas he had expressed, or had ascribed to him, led to the creation of a first major ideological movement which espoused universal morals as once of its cornerstones. Yes, many abuses have been committed in the name of the same ideology and religion - in the name of Christianity - but its qualitative and fundamental contribution to the moral and ethical discussion needs to be acknowledged, by Christians and non-Christians alike.
These were some of my thoughts on a cold afternoon on the Christmas Eve.
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