Choosing what to believe is one of the most important things one can do in life and one in which, for the most part, an individual is ill prepared to do. While a few things are plain and simple facts, most are not so plain or simple and you must rely on the interpretation of other people.
History. How many times has the relating of it (history books) changed on you? What was the USA constitution based on? Did the founding fathers believe in God? Was Abraham Lincoln fighting to abolish slavery or to save the Union? Did or did not the United States know that the Japanese were about to attack Pearl Harbor? Did the atomic bombs need to be dropped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to save lives in WWII or had the Japanese already begun the surrender process and the bombs were merely to show Russia what was what? Did Oswald act alone? Why did the twin towers fall in such an odd way? Where are the weapons of mass destruction? How much do the the top brass know about the way enemies are tortured?
Truthfulness starts in the home with the stories we tell our children. How can a child learn truth when we are inconsistent with it ourselves? Is there a Santa Claus or isn't there? Is there not a better way to explain this lively traditional elf? Can't a parent truthfully explain a tradition of believing in generous souls who gave secret gifts for hard working children, who gave money for teeth, who gave hidden eggs filled with treats? Now, there are binkey faeries who take bottles and binkies and deliver them to children who need them!
What's the problem believing in "magic"? If you truly believe in faeries and elves fine and dandy but if you are going to tell your child you were lying to them to give them a taste of magic that you never believed actually existed in the first place, you might want to reconsider. For those who truly believe in God they should take heed that never before in the history of the world have there been more atheists (non believers in any diety), with more than 70% of them coming from religious upbringings. Can it be directly connected to inconsistent truthfulness? You judge, isn't the child going to logically wonder when is the story of Santa and the story of God going to both be disavowed by the parent, if one of them is? When parents fail to be consistent in their truthfulness we lose trust of our first teachers.
When schools teach what to learn instead of how to learn we don't know how to find the truth if parents do not advocate for their children's education. When coaches give spots on the team based on who's name is on the school board or in the country club we never learn the truth about who it is wise to follow until sports are no longer seen as leadership training grounds. When our news providing media is bought and paid for by special interest groups we allow truth to be buried if we do not speak out and refuse to buy it. When the two party system is in a tie for corruption and people at the polls are looking for the lessor of two evils rather than the best person for the job truth has a way of being something that is considered an unattainable goal to a cynical society.
Truth? Maybe we can handle it, but do we deserve it? As long as we have breath in our body we deserve to be told the truth. As long as this country endures it must tell us the truth. A liar will continue to lie until someone has the courage to call out, "The Emperor is not wearing any clothes!" Be that person!
Truth? We can all handle it!
History. How many times has the relating of it (history books) changed on you? What was the USA constitution based on? Did the founding fathers believe in God? Was Abraham Lincoln fighting to abolish slavery or to save the Union? Did or did not the United States know that the Japanese were about to attack Pearl Harbor? Did the atomic bombs need to be dropped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to save lives in WWII or had the Japanese already begun the surrender process and the bombs were merely to show Russia what was what? Did Oswald act alone? Why did the twin towers fall in such an odd way? Where are the weapons of mass destruction? How much do the the top brass know about the way enemies are tortured?
Truthfulness starts in the home with the stories we tell our children. How can a child learn truth when we are inconsistent with it ourselves? Is there a Santa Claus or isn't there? Is there not a better way to explain this lively traditional elf? Can't a parent truthfully explain a tradition of believing in generous souls who gave secret gifts for hard working children, who gave money for teeth, who gave hidden eggs filled with treats? Now, there are binkey faeries who take bottles and binkies and deliver them to children who need them!
What's the problem believing in "magic"? If you truly believe in faeries and elves fine and dandy but if you are going to tell your child you were lying to them to give them a taste of magic that you never believed actually existed in the first place, you might want to reconsider. For those who truly believe in God they should take heed that never before in the history of the world have there been more atheists (non believers in any diety), with more than 70% of them coming from religious upbringings. Can it be directly connected to inconsistent truthfulness? You judge, isn't the child going to logically wonder when is the story of Santa and the story of God going to both be disavowed by the parent, if one of them is? When parents fail to be consistent in their truthfulness we lose trust of our first teachers.
When schools teach what to learn instead of how to learn we don't know how to find the truth if parents do not advocate for their children's education. When coaches give spots on the team based on who's name is on the school board or in the country club we never learn the truth about who it is wise to follow until sports are no longer seen as leadership training grounds. When our news providing media is bought and paid for by special interest groups we allow truth to be buried if we do not speak out and refuse to buy it. When the two party system is in a tie for corruption and people at the polls are looking for the lessor of two evils rather than the best person for the job truth has a way of being something that is considered an unattainable goal to a cynical society.
Truth? Maybe we can handle it, but do we deserve it? As long as we have breath in our body we deserve to be told the truth. As long as this country endures it must tell us the truth. A liar will continue to lie until someone has the courage to call out, "The Emperor is not wearing any clothes!" Be that person!
Truth? We can all handle it!
5 comments:
This presupposes a particular understanding of truth that leaves no room for the presence of metaphor. I was raised in a home that advocated what your suggesting "hard core truth"--there was no Santa in my home. It didn't make me a better person, it kinda robbed me of the ability to see truth on different levels. It was black and white thinking in a world that is increasingly grey. And honestly, the faith that I hold NOW depends on being able to see truth in metaphorical terms.
There is something to be said for beauty. The act of falling into beauty even when it is not "factual" is an act of faith that I think argues for the practice of Santa. Or any other magic of childhood. I would rather raise a child that understand there is more to "truth" than facts, than inspire nothing but fact checkers.
While I expect there is a deeper push here than banning Santa that I would agree with--it feels like too much of a reach to suggest that childhood belief in assorted magic leads to a lack of faith in adulthood.
Oops... "you're"... sheesh... this is what hosting a kid sleep over does to the brain. Consider yourself warned. :D Heh.
;)
Whatever it is the parent really believes is great to teach the child. Its when the parent teaches a "magic" that they don't believe in that's the lie.
Democracy, justice, love, Santa, God, whatever. Teach a child what you believe and why you believe in it. Teach a child how to believe.
Ya know. Sometimes these myths are just FUN. The amount of fun I got out of believing in Santa, minus the disappointment I exprienced upon finding out that my parents were Santa equals a great deal more childish wonder and pleasure.
However, as evidenced on my blog, when it comes to matters of state, I was yelling about that nekkid cowpoke in the Oval Office long before a lot of people. So I think it's dependent upon context.
With my kids, upon fielding their doubts at times and questions other times about the existence of Santa, I always asked them if they could show me absolute, factual proof there is no Santa.
They never did and me and the wife never got caught.
Now they do the same with their children.
Just plain common sense won out on the Easter Bunny though, we just couldn't make that one work.
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