The Santa Claus Error

The Santa Claus Error

This is something I’ve been meaning to commit to writing for some time.
Becoming a member of ‘Lightworkers’ and observing the spectrum of people and the various levels of comment here has provided the catalyst to bring it forward. The hope being that something of it may be of benefit to the neophyte and others on the path.

The original intent was to offer this observation to children – particularly those suffering from a “mortality crisis” – a term I like to use for those holding (however transitory) an oppressive view of the human condition.
However, after reading some of the comments in this forum I would venture to suggest there are those here who could also benefit.

First let me acknowledge that reality has an infinite number of interpretations – and that no two people live the same existence – but there are fundamental truths that apply, if not to us all, to most of us here – myself included.

One of these truths is that each of us has to find ‘the way’ for ourselves. This is how life in the ‘here and now’ is supposed to be – and there is very little we can do to change it.

What there is to be learned from living here cannot effectively be communicated by others. There are no shortcuts. Read everything you can get your hands on – and unless you are ready to understand – you will not understand – though you may think you do.

Even crystal clear explanations written in the most concise terms by the most enlightened people only yield meaning to the mind already open to acceptance.

‘The way’ can be likened to a spiral. Progress may seem to go around and around but each turn leads to a new level of understanding – so what may be considered obvious, even puerile at one level, may be recognised as having a profound meaning at another.

The true adept will not ridicule the thoughts and beliefs of others – recognising instead that the many stages along the way have equal validity. Progress is progress.

So if a child – or anyone else for that matter – believes in Santa Claus, it is not our place to belittle them or to inflict on them our “superior” version of the truth.

As a meme, Santa Claus has a very real and undeniably powerful presence. It is this meme that drives parents all over the world to perpetuate the charade that Santa, complete with flying reindeer, visits every house where good children live at Christmas.

And here’s where the “Santa Claus Error” comes in.

Sooner or later, one way or another, almost all children will reach the realisation that Santa doesn’t exist as a physical entity in the ‘here and now’.

So where’s the problem ? – It's this - by the time the ‘Tooth Fairy’ and the ‘Easter Bunny’ have been similarly exposed – it doesn’t take much of a mental leap before the child can extrapolate (wrongly) from these parental “fibs” that God doesn’t exist either – so therefore there’s no heaven, no existence after death etc. etc.

And in my version of reality, I can say with reasonable certainty, that no venerable old bearded gentleman as such, resides somewhere in a region above the sky called heaven.
(This is not to say that the reality couldn’t be that way though - if that’s the way God wanted it to be.)

But, for obvious reasons, the simplified notional model of God in heaven – as presented to young children and by some branches of religion – is rejected by many.

The ‘Santa Claus Error’ is in rejecting the reality that God exists – instead of just rejecting the simplified version of how God is portrayed.

It seems to me that most of the people who refuse to accept that God exists tend to be those who have been unable to sufficiently expand their view of what God could be to embrace the infinite - and all the subtle and not so subtle ways that God expresses existence in the ‘here and now’ world we live in – and the other realms we may frequent.

Therefore let us not reject anything simply because we do not understand it or because we do not accept the terms it may be expressed in.

True enlightenment involves expanding understanding sufficiently to embrace the infinite.
It does not take a narrow definitive view.

Therefore if any person may ridicule or criticise your beliefs – and uses insulting or contentious language to do so – the one thing you can be very sure of is that this person still has a very long road in front of them. Maybe far longer than your own.

So pay no heed to fractious comments - go by what you know and believe in your own heart - and if you want to believe in Santa Claus – that’s fine by me.