Thursday, December 22, 2011

Belief

So quiet this morning here in Lloyd. Until my dogs get the idea that someone is coming and begin to bark. And then the quiet is split apart and my back tenses and if it doesn't snap entirely before I leave, it will be a miracle of some sort.

I was reading the paper this morning and there was an editorial (I do love the editorial section) that made me laugh, be sort of pissed, and shake my head. All at the same time.
It was about Santa and the myth of Santa and children's belief in Santa. The man who wrote it was discussing how his five-year old niece was questioning the reality of Santa. He assured her that yes, darling, there is in fact a real Santa. And then, at school, someone in authority told the child that no, there was no Santa and the child called her uncle and sobbed and accused him of telling her a lie.
So the uncle talked to someone he knew in the educational system and how she responds to children's questions about Santa Claus and she said, "We've been told not to discuss things like Santa Claus with the children. They don't want us teaching children about things they can't see, hear, touch, or feel."

Sounds sensible to me although I don't know why a teacher would tell a five-year old there is no Santa. That's inappropriate for that age if you ask me but anyway, let's get on with our story.

The uncle asked the person who had given him this answer this question:
"How do we raise children to have faith and to become spiritual adults if we're teaching them to be nonbelievers before they even start to believe?"

Haha! Exactly!

He went on to say that if all the adults would just stick to the same story, children wouldn't call it lying.

Yep. That about sums it all up for me. When it comes to religion.
I don't believe I even need to add any discourse on this one.

But, that's just me. I do believe in what I can see, hear, touch, feel. And I have seen things and felt things and touched things that gave me enough wonder to open my mind to the possibility of so much more than I can actually explain. But I don't need to attribute any of that to a faith of any particular sort. Now if you have, then that's fine and I'm glad for you.

But I ain't going to believe something based on a lie even if "everyone" agrees to tell the same lie. This is true whether it pertains to religion or politics. Or nutritional advice, for that matter.

Well, there you go. My thought for the day which is no more and no less valid than the guy who wrote that editorial if you want to get right down to it.

The shortest day of the year has passed, it is now truly winter. The days will begin to grow longer, the nights less so. This is something which can be measured and it is something to celebrate.

Let us do so.

Amen.



14 comments:

  1. My oldest thought and thought about the whole Santa thing very seriously when he was 4. July comes around and he's having his bath and he asks, point blank - like don't bullshit me - "There isn't really a Santa Claus is there?"

    I had to tell him no, not really but it's nice to pretend.

    It was the whole flying around the world giving gifts to all the kids that threw him over. He couldn't believe in that kind of magic.

    Of course, when the issue came up in kindergarten, he told the rest of the kids there was no Santa and upset them.

    So we pretended Santa at our house and the kids were just as happy as any other kids.

    Now, we do believe in God (but not as an old man in the sky) because we have each had our own experiences but we do not believe over much in churches or their rules and rituals. They all seem to get it wrong in the end.

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  2. My favorite thing about the solstice is that the days can only get longer from here.

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  3. And the secret of Santa is a very thin veil in our house.

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  4. Jeannie- Good one! I like the fact that when your child asked you point blank, you just told the truth. Now THAT is a firm basis for figuring things out for oneself in the future.

    Stephanie- Me too about the solstice. I think a lot of children just pretend they believe in Santa in order to keep getting the presents he brings.

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  5. Here's to longer days and more light.

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  6. I'm catching up. I love reading you so much. Where is YOUR iphone? You're going to go mad with the camera. And you can upload directly to your blog. You're not going to believe it. So glad Mr Moon is enjoying his.
    I believe in you.
    I am thinking about you as you get ready for your trip.
    You're my hero.
    You help me so much, you know.

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  7. well, since my kids weren't raised as christians they never ever believed in Santa and it didn't scar them for life and they weren't deprived of anything either.

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  8. Ah, but the word "Feel" is the crux as it has two meanings. What you feel at a touch of your hand? Or what you feel about what you touched with your hand?

    P.S. Can you tell I work in politics?

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  9. Santa--no Santa. I was crushed to find out he wasn't real because I'm SURE I saw him the sky one night out my bedroom window. And that's the way stories are made, and told and retold...and it's all real, it is. Stories make us human and bring us together. The stories about a baby's birth may have nothing to do with 'facts' but they're true, nevertheless.

    I could go on.

    Have a grand vacation, dear Mary.

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  10. When my son was five he and I took the train to Portland and when we were wandering around in the fog waiting for the train (this was Christmas eve) in the early morning this man appeared with a great dane and a bag of wrapped toys on his back. He was dressed in brown tights with pointed shoes and a green kind of long shirt. He didn't have a beard but he had a weird hat and those presents were real as he gave one to Page a very soft beautiful plush bear (that he still has) and we still have no idea where he came from or why and my son, even though he's 30 years old, still believes. Me too.

    Love,
    Rebecca

    ps. When do you leave?

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  11. Rubye Jack- Can't argue with that one.

    Ms. Fleur- Does Harley still believe?

    Bethany- My iPhone is...somewhere. I do not know. It'll be here someday. At which point I will love it.
    You're MY hero too, so there, dear darling.

    Ellen Abbott- Word!

    SJ- I know. I thought about that. But I was also thinking about "feel" in the sense of feeling a newborn's head with my fingers. You know?

    Beth Coyote- Maybe you did see him. Why not?

    Madame King- Hell, I'd believe in him too if that happened to me. Love you, baby.

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  12. I liked the belief in Santa. I felt a bit gypped to find out that he did not exist. I know that there are things that my sensory perception cannot touch. But that is the mystery of it all to me.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.