Some festive Musings,
Hands up who thinks Santa is real, or elves, or flying reindeer. Anyone? Me neither.
But just because I still love the festive kitsch, carols, trees, traditions, stories and mistletoe doesn’t mean I have to believe that Santa is real any more than I do the tooth fairy, Easter bunny or the eldritch folk at the bottom of my garden.
I doubt that there is anyone who wouldn’t laugh if I, as a rational adult, were to be grievously insulted by anyone who denied the existence of the jolly fat man and his airborne rangifer tarandus.
As an Atheist, I quite simply don’t believe in those other splendid imaginary fellows, God, Allah, Yahweh, Muhammad, Jesus, Buddha, Brahma, Zeus, Poseidon and their ilk for whom tradition demands scorn upon the unbelievers, or at the very least smug superiority over those on the wrong path. I can’t help feeling that something is wrong here, and the pain and suffering in the world caused our own imaginary friends is needless and unnecessary.
So let’s think for a moment about it, put all this superstitious, dogmatic, intolerant needlessness aside and make the festive season about us, the evolved human mammals, and as Bill and Ted said, “be excellent to each other”
And here’s something to think about in 2010, remember, you can still be a tolerant, marvellous, warm and kind human being without believing in fairy tales or supernatural deities, there is enough magic in the real world, in nature and in your own person without looking for it in superstitions.
In the words of Santa “be good for goodness sake”
Best wishes, and have a happy Hanukkah, cool Kwanza, brightest Yule, Merry Sol Invictus, magnificent solstice, happy Christmas, or however you celebrate the season.
Derek
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