Monday, July 30, 2012

I blame Santa...

Forgive her father for she knows not what she does.
Santa Clause. It all started with Santa Clause. As children in America (for the most part) our parents had us believe an old obese hermit would spy on us all year long to judge whether or not we were fit to be adulated with toys and candy once a year. This guy had every kid on a list and if you were naughty, oh ho ho, he would know about it and you bet your sweet ass he was taking notes. Personally, my parents never allowed Santa to hold me accountable for anything I did during the year, so Christmas morning was always stellar. Santa was the greatest guy representing the greatest symbol of consumerism made manifest. I loved him, his pack of flying deer, and his toy making sweatshop.

Most of us have a heart wrenching tale about the time we found out (spoiler alert) there was no Santa. They range from setting traps to catch him in the act or just being told by an older sibling/friend. I do not have such a tale. I can’t pinpoint it exactly but I was very young. I remember the thought process, however. The whole thing seemed like a load of crap. I reasoned through that no man could accomplish the feats that everyone claimed Santa did. Moreover I remember thinking, ‘why are there so many different looking Santa’s at malls and shops?’ and ’If he knows if we’ve been good or bad, why do we need to sit on his lap and tell him what we want? Shouldn’t he already know that?’ With questions abound; needless to say I became what my peers (if they followed the adult mentality of today) would call a ’Santa denier’, forever shunned in most social circles.

So if Santa wasn’t real; all bets were off right? What about God? Couldn’t he be some creation by the people that control and guide the lives of adults: states and religions? Before I even entered into adolescence I had questions about the whole concept of God and afterlife. I remember vividly being very young in bible school when we had to sing a song. The lyrics were ‘Wisdom, God’s wisdom, we are learning ways to be wise.’ Thinking I was too clever, I had changed the lyrics to ‘Wisdom, God is dumb, we are learning ways to be liars.’ True story. I sang to my teacher and was just so gosh darn cute I was spared being shipped off to Singapore for a good caning. Lucky for me it wasn’t long after my parents allowed me to opt out of bible school.

Adolescence came and being equipped with the belief that people in places of high power spread lies to those in low power to manipulate behavior, I swam through awkward years seeking to study psychology, philosophy, sociology and every spiritual concept I could wrap my head around. Many years later and here I am with the same drive to find truth and understanding as to what all this means. To understand what is really going on. From catholic to atheist, to Buddhist, to agnostic, to some psychedelic unifying theory of the universe. From political indifference to chest thumping conservatism, to tree hugging liberal, to libertarian socialism, objectivism, minarchism, political atheism, to technocracy to Anarcho-privitism, anarcho-capitalism, voluntaryism, and so on. I’ve struggled with misanthropy and humanism alike, and to a degree still do. I’ve wrestled with every conspiracy you can probably say. With each paradigm shift I’ve grown, changed, evolved and adapted. Ultimately making my life more relevant and meaningful to me.

Over the years the biggest hurdle in fighting for truth is breaking down the lies you are emotionally invested in. Cognitive disequilibrium; which is to hold two paradoxical beliefs simultaneously (e.g. we need to give up our freedoms so we can be free.) is painful, confusing, and even scary. (Can you recall the moment you were threatened with the realization there was no Santa?) Many people are so emotionally invested they can’t fight through it and respond with anger, denial, guilt, or dread. People not ready to be unplugged from the lies will fight, sometimes with actual violence, to protect their paradigm- counter to any logical evidence to the contrary.

However when one fights through the pain, particularly on really big ideas and concepts, the effect is literally mind blowing. The term ‘waking up’, as cliché as it is, is synonymous with this experience because it is literally cathartic; akin to those few seconds when waking from a dream when you realize nothing you just believed was real. It can be said that you only truly learn something when your behavior changes as a result. Each ‘waking up’ experience I’ve had has changed my behavior in some way. What about you?

We share the happiness and travail of life together but with an experience uniquely our own. Our experience dictates our judgments which dictates our paradigm. The internet has done wonders to help people come together who share ideas/modes of thinking. I’m making an assumption here when I say if you’re reading this there is a pretty good chance you have had at least one ‘wake up’ experience in your life that has forever changed the way you look at the world. Try and keep a sense of that feeling as you peruse the various articles on this site in the months and perhaps years to come. Comment, share, debate, we welcome it all. Thank you for reading.

Welcome to LAWLess Press.

- JD Smith

3 comments:

  1. WOW...I REALY LIKE. :0)

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  2. Move Forward with this...think you will find many other like minds out there.

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  3. Personally, if I can see it with my own eyes or experience it with my own being, I have a difficult time accepting. We are born into a "behold, I have said... and so it is" world where people are taught to regurgitate information to achieve wisdom. The missing component is that people are not taught how to develop and utilize critical thinking. We are not encouraged to think for ourselves. People don't question that which is choreographed for the masses to be accepted as reality. I enjoyed your perspective.

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