The following is what I believe would have been a better response to Virginia O'Hanlon's now famous letter to The Sun, "Is there a Santa Claus?" Virginia mailed her letter in July of 1897 but it wasn't until September 21 1897 that it was answered by Francis Church.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."
Viginia, your little friends are right. They have seen the truth in an age of skepticism and commercialism. They do not believe the lies that large commercial organizations spread with their advertising. They think that it 's incomprehensible that the little minds of those who control large corporations would put money before truth. Virginia, these large corporations would tell you all minds, whether they be men's or children's, are little. They would tell you that in this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Virginia, there are no limits to your learning or that of your friends except when deception enters.
No, Virginia, there isn't a Santa Claus. He does not exist. But love, generosity, devotion and truth do exist. Know that only were these qualities abound, unfettered by falsehood can they give to your life its highest beauty and joy.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."
Viginia, your little friends are right. They have seen the truth in an age of skepticism and commercialism. They do not believe the lies that large commercial organizations spread with their advertising. They think that it 's incomprehensible that the little minds of those who control large corporations would put money before truth. Virginia, these large corporations would tell you all minds, whether they be men's or children's, are little. They would tell you that in this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Virginia, there are no limits to your learning or that of your friends except when deception enters.
No, Virginia, there isn't a Santa Claus. He does not exist. But love, generosity, devotion and truth do exist. Know that only were these qualities abound, unfettered by falsehood can they give to your life its highest beauty and joy.
Alas! There are those who would want you to believe their lies. They would have you believe that you would have a dreary world if there were no Santa Claus; that it would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias; that there would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence; that we should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight and that the eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Virginia, it is deception that makes this existence intolerable. When children such as yourself are deceived into believing a lie by those you trust, only to learn later the real truth, your faith is weakened. It is only with the continued repetition of finding the truth in the things you learn that your mind to opened to the glorious possibilities of this existence.
Virginia, don't believe in Santa Claus and don't believe in the tooth fairy or even the Easter rabbit! Even if your papa hired men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus they would not see Santa Claus. Those who want you to believe in lies solely for their own financial gain would say, "What would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus." They would also try to convince you that the most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. They would even try to convince you that there are fairies dancing on the lawn and assert that just because you don't see them is no proof that they're not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are in the world, but this does not prove the existence of a make believe Santa Claus.
You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. But Santa Claus, tooth fairies and Easter rabbits don't fit into these wondrous qualities that make up your very essence.
There is no Santa Claus Virginia and thank God that a thousand years from now, nay ten times ten thousand years from now, only truth, honesty and freedom from deceit will make glad the heart of childhood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After 113 years the original response to Virginia's letter has taken on a life of it's own. It is reprinted and retold all around the world. But why? Have none of you ever looked into the eyes of a child the moment they learn the truth -- that there is no Santa Claus. I've seen some that were brought to tears with this news. It was like they just lost their best friend.
As adults we continue to deceive ourselves. We tell ourselves and each other that it's such a wonderful tradition. And this in spite of the fact that we feel, and see, the evidence of the debt this "tradition" continually inflict on so many.
I tell you that you have been brainwashed by Coca Cola and a thousand other corporations that merely wont to extract the maximum number of dollars from your pocket. And they don't care what they have to get you to believe to accomplish this. Don't believe this? Then watch the first 13:30 minutes of just the first link below. You will see how on March 31, 1929, cigarettes became women's "Torches of Freedom", and you will learn how easily you can be controlled by simple deceptive messages and images.
- Century of Self: Episode 1
- Century of Self: Episode 2
- Century of Self: Episode 3
- Century of Self: Episode 4
Advertising then (1920s) was in its infancy. Today it is much more refined. All multinational corporations, and that includes the biggest, Banks, use these refined means against you. They even use sweet stories like, Is There a Santa Claus to put a smile on your face and a warm feeling inside that enables you to say, "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."
You have become an employee of the central banks if you really believe this. Please resign today. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments to the author are welcomed.
david.ealing@gmail.com
