The Night

Incurables and snakes. These are people that have a harsh tendency to be unreachable. Now let me tell you about a tool used by more innocent individuals. A simple example will explain how horridly reeking of stupidity this tool is and it simply should not be allowed to exist. However, a culture that you and I sustain, allows such a vile and undetected tool to exist.

To explain this best, I will tell you how I found it.

I was speaking to a young relative, so young that I have been with her since birth and remember it all. Last year she animatedly explained lengthy stories of different prophets. These are the prophets from The Torah and The Bible. This year , since she’s moved to public school…topic s have changed. She’s moved away from her favourite story of Prophet Saleh and the evil people who didn’t obey God and received a punishment, to waiting to toss her rotten tooth under a pillow and wait for a stranger to leave monetary recompense in its’ exchange.

You may not understand why this is so horrible.

Think more deeply at the idea of a four year old telling a detailed in depth story of heroes, innocent prophets, sent to mankind to teach an ignorant people to obey One God and remind them they are accountable as the Day of Judgement will come where every one will be assessed on their own deeds. We will all be before our Maker and nothing escapes Him. Only our good deeds and character and charity and knowledge of His message will be with us. Would it not be amazing if a four year old was explaining this to you from a kindergarten lesson? And that too, while you ask detailed questions and get thought-out answers.

Now this is a brilliant mind, whose memory and logical sense to answer questions is developing at such a rapid and exciting pace. (Wouldn’t you agree? C’mon, four years old!) However, due to unforeseen circumstances, she is now in public school.
She is now not seeking to teach me what she learned as animated as before. Simple tricks to sound out letters are fascinating and they help her speak clearly, but she forgets them when I ask her next time.

She wants to bury her tooth under her pillow like a sacrifice and wait for a strange lady to creep into her room and give her money. Not only is this illogical; for who would give up their capital for an unusable asset; but it is also not true. There is no tooth fairy.

I told her the truth.

Yes, she was shocked.

So I told her, that if someone lied to her year old brother, and explained that a fairy visits when you lose teeth, he might look for her. How disappointed would he be to learn we lied to him? Wouldn’t it be better if we told him true stories?

She giggled at the silliness of it all and agreed. Smiling at her little brother, glad that the seriousness was over.

But I was onto something, so I didn’t let up.

“And you know, Santa Claus doesn’t exist either.”

And that’s when I met the ignorance clause in full legislative power. She said, “He does exist, I saw him.”

And she looked in every direction as I explained and tried to switch subjects on me. But I got my point across and as much as I can tell she understood me. I couldn’t let this weird cultural myth, dressed in CocaCola red and white and portrayed in God-like stature be a part of my dear niece’s worldview! What does he have to do with Christianity or believing in God? Did Jesus peace be upon him, ever mention this character? No! Did any other prophet?
Which prophet declared that God wants us to lie to our children to be good? Do we have no tool except the ignorance clause? For all our science, studying and books, you’d think human beings could do something productive. We have so much advancement, and we stoop so low? I don’t see why we should.

We simply twist our innocent child’s mind to accept that a man exists, when in essence he does not, and perhaps he once did, but he certainly does not do all those things we say he does. Or what teachers and TV and our decorations and everything say he does.

Watching while you sleep.

Knows when you are good or bad.

He’s coming.

Listen : God is the only one who knows your every move, He knows you’re good or bad deeds and you will be resurrected on the Day of Judgement to face Him.
There’s no Santa Claus coming to give you a performance assessment every year to decide your fate. What human has that ability? Why don’t we commission such a being to solve world problems? Hmm? And please tell me you parents, or older siblings, why do you-that to, very suddenly- decide after a certain number of years to rip a young child’s mind apart?

Maybe you feel I am ripping up a cultural icon, but do we have any facts on where Santa came from? We sure have a lot of answers for where humans came from, so how about our cultural icon? (Did you know that Christmas was banned by purist Christians for a long time and it actually didn’t exist until another ritual around late December was imported from pagans to get converts?) Well, at least I’m not lying through my teeth by reiterating that a person exists throughout your existence until one day I decide to rip the carpet from under you and tell you the truth.

Hypothetical Rug Pulling Scenarios:

Parent: Oh honey, you know, you’re so big now. Didn’t you know Santa doesn’t exist?
Slightly Concerned Elder Sibling: Hey kiddo, you still believe Santa’s going to get you all that stuff from Toys R Us? It’s actually mom and dad.

Random elder/teacher disciplining child: A lie is something that doesn’t do any good. Now tell me, does it feel good to know that after all these years celebrating your holidays believing in Santa, he wasn’t real? Really parents these days really plug your ears well. You didn’t like them lying to you, now did you? (Upon seeing horrified face) Oh, you really didn’t. Sorry honey, he’s real! (Pulling the ignorance clause). I was saying that…sometimes people just say things…you know? ( A lesson in lying?)

Hypothetical. Scenarios. Okay?

I watched TV growing up too, okay?

Anyways, this ignorance clause is a tool used by individuals to escape reality. It is a method of exaggerating and then reifying a situation until it becomes ideal. For example, when Enron was doing really well as a business, making millions of dollars for shareholders, it was a beautiful dream. No harm to anyone when a business is doing well. (And some would argue, no harm if you’re making a child excited and enjoy their winter vacations by telling them about Santa.) And then of course, this beautiful dream was a hoax and accountants were cooking the books too well (in accounting cooking the books means: estimating and approximating, which is expected for depreciation/appreciation etc.). But Enron’s accountants took it beyond. They were completely misrepresenting the real numbers and lying to their shareholders and the government. (Similar to exaggerating about Santa watching you and you know, actually existing). Their net income was totally made up. It didn’t exist in the way they showed it. They used the ignorance clause, let a few things escape here to look big and powerful and then ended up in total bankruptcy and are now cited as the biggest fraud and white collar crime in just about every accounting textbook and course.

Okay listen, I know that Santa and the tooth fairy are a big deal to kids. But we aren’t kids here. That’s not my point though. My point isn’t to attack this figure, but it is to attack what he and the tooth fairy represent. And in my research and over my life, all they represents is a lie. I don’t want us to be a society that let’s BIG lies like this roam in our homes and chimneys, surround important holiday time for families and create HUGE disappointment when the truth comes out.

Really if he’s so important, why reveal he doesn’t exist? Kids are usually told by someone. (See: Scenarios)

Just give your kids gifts, teach them how to be good, find them role models. Stop lying to them in this way that hurts so much. I can’t stand the glossy eyed reiteration of a tooth fairy tale my niece heard from someone versus the beautiful animated way she told me of how important it was for a prophet to listen to God and fulfil his promise. How he persevered after struggling and working hard and utilizing truth for the goodness of people.

All I want is to have something good that’s real. I’m exhausted of the ignorance clause being used to cover up things. I’m lethargic thinking of snakes going after people and trying to capture me to join their backbiting plans. I’m tired of all the ways the incurables make me feel unloved and unreal. But who can blame them? We live in an ignorant world of lies, where backbiting and gossip is our main entertainment and where mental illness is rampant in so many homes.

I just want what’s real, the truth can be good and fun too. The stories of heroes and of our friends and family can fill our time, it doesn’t have to be all work and then all computer/phone.

Be balanced and peaceful. Stop using the ignorance clause and veto-ing the truth! No one is perfect, everyone is changing and we are all human. Do unto others how you wish them to do unto you. Stick to the golden rule.