20/08/2024
SANTA CLAUSIAN: WHAT IS A LIE?
All matter is made of atoms, hence the very world we see around us is made of things we can't see. How ironic. In our endeavors we come across it and make statements of fact based on it. "I saw your friend today". "Who?" "The tall blonde"
As humans, we have come to accept our environment to be a backbone of reality. We see the ground wet as we step out to work, we assume it rained. We hear voices in another room, we conclude there's a person there.
But if matter is the fabric of reality, how do we communicate this reality to someone who wasn't present in that environment? WORDS
It's funny how spoken words themselves are not made of matter, but are the best medium. My physics teacher would make an argument for energy but let’s stay on point here. Words also communicate emotions and feelings. One phrase I had trouble grasping as a little boy growing up was "give me your word" which I found quite funny because words to me were not material, so couldn't be given nor taken. But as I grew older, I realized the value of a person’s words.
A person's integrity could be influenced by his words alone. What you said could give a perception of reality in another's mind. Throughout life, the one activity humans do most aside breathing, is speaking, and trust me I do a lot of speaking.
Judgment of character, change of perception, trust, and first impressions are a few things that are influenced by words. A person's speech could turn you off or win your admiration. This has created the need for people to be conscious of their speech. Take politicians, they have speeches written for them, are coached on delivery, stance and what have you, all to reach a conclusion they desire concerning their audience. Every average person does this, whether consciously or otherwise.
But words differ. Some do not reflect the reality that exists. A kid grows up believing that on Christmas Eve, a man will slip down his chimney and deliver gifts in the dark of the night. He believes this because of words he's been told. And in the morning he is confronted with a reality that enforces this notion. A stack of boxes under a tree covered in glistening paper. He assures himself that he has been good that year and will continue to do same, and receive same. A few years down the line a grumpy adult shatters his worldview and tells him that there's no North Pole resident thinking of him during Christmas, his parents lied to him, and he probably has more in common with Kevin from Home Alone.
You can't describe a lie without truth as a reference point. When something is true, it is in accordance with fact and reality. So I guess a lie would be anything that is not in accordance with fact and reality.
Now going back to the little boy, I believe he wouldn't feel so good to find out that Santa Claus doesn't exist. And all the warm fuzziness he felt during Christmas would be no more. The lie brought him comfort, the truth brought him nothing but reality. It confronted him with the fact that his parents cared for him, not his parents and Santa Claus. Just his parents. But who started this lie?
A simple search on Google would make you know that it has nothing to do with what we see on television. To which I would give the Coca Cola Company a lot of credit. I believe most parents do not even know how much of Santa was reimagined, packaged and distributed by Coca Cola. Another question I have is, where do all lies come from?
Obviously humans yes, but why the need to lie? The need to create a reality that doesn't exist and insert it in the worldview of others. I might be talking about a potbellied man and super sugar saturated soft drinks but this goes beyond that. One thing I have come to realize in this world is that the foundations of life on earth are built and eroded on truth and lies.
One person I admire a lot is a man by the name Nicolaus Copernicus (at this point you would realize a hint of semblance with Santa Claus, it wasn't intended) who in in summary encountered a reality in his personal study of celestial bodies and came to the conclusion that the sun was at the center of our solar system, and not the earth. He believed in his findings so much that he was ready to counter the accepted theory at the time. This kind of character is quickly fading out in society today. We do more reporting of facts than searching of facts. New information is accepted without query because "Oh I saw it on Google, it was on the news, so and so said it so it must be true". Lies have been told, and reality has been altered to offer support to these lies. It's kind of amazing the lengths people would go to preserve the false reality a lie brings. Even to the point of murder. And I'm not speaking of the average Joe on the street. I made mention of politicians and their speeches earlier. There's nothing more false in this world than a politician, and here's why.
Who sponsors the politician?
Who trains the politician in his craft or let me say craftiness?
Who has the most the most to gain when the politician assumes office?
Who were the politician's classmates?
Who does the politician owe allegiance to?
What is the politician's social background?
What is the politician's family background?
A reality forms as you try to piece together answers to these questions, and it is very different to the picture painted on the podiums. And believe me when I say it, it's a be beautiful picture, carefully edited and perused by a team of campaign strategists, who have done a background check on the average Joe, to know if he's color blind, sensitive to light, or his taste lies in a Van Gogh or a Rembrandt. The politician has his paintbrush ready, and like Picasso, holds the gaze of his audience. They fall for it. Much so that they put a vote on the ballot in his support. This is not a hit piece on politicians. But I sincerely believe that they are a cartel. The people are hooked on a product they sell which doesn't come in whiffs of powder, but words. And like co***ne, make them behave in an irrational manner, oblivious to their environment and reality. We will fight with people we don't know, in other to defend people who do not care about us, to keep them in places we cannot reach, even if we dare to dream.
Its 2024, campaign season has begun, and my oh my, the con artists will come and hawk their lies us once again. And if history has taught us anything, many will buy their wares only to get home, unwrap the "perfect" picture and find a fraud has come their way.
Truth be told, the politician's racket is the gift that keeps on giving.