The first two laws are also interesting

Christmas got me to thinking, once again, about how very weird our culture is, sometimes.  We don't believe in magic.  Magic is evil.  Magic is from Satan.  (We apparently do believe in Satan, whoever, who is an invisible, persnickety, kinda magical figure.)  UNLESS.. we are talking about our children.  We teach our children a fairly large store of magical lore concerning Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.  Santa and the Easter Bunny coincide with religious holidays but are not, themselves, instruments of religion.  If I recall my history correctly, they're remnants of pagan rituals inherited from older cultures.  Which, fine.  Let's do May Day too.

The part that bugs me is we teach kids that magic exists, that it's real, and then later we tell them that it's not.  This was bugging me.  What's the point?  So I asked a father of young children.  His answers were enlightening.

1)  Mythical figures are a great way to get children to behave.  You better stop hitting your sister, or we're going to tell Santa you were bad and he'll skip this house this year.

2)  Children WANT to believe in magic.  A lot of things seem magical to them anyway, because they don't know enough yet to understand how things work.  A fat man who annually breaks into their house to drop off presents, who knows all their secrets, who has a herd of flying reindeer, really isn't that different from the magic box that flies up when you push a button (the elevator), the magic box that is cold and lit up inside (the refrigerator), or the box that holds the magically replenished food (the cupboard, after Mom goes to the store.)  I'm old enough to have forgotten how many things happened inexplicably when I was a child.  I mean, until I was a teenager I thought the car JUST KNEW when Dad was going to turn a corner, and signaled everybody else for him.  I had no idea that there was a turn signal lever.

Since children are effectively primitives, Clark's 3rd law applies to much that they encounter: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

I studied physics in college because I wanted to know how things worked.  Once I found out that most things could be explained, I needed to know.  I wonder if that is a common reaction in our little primitive minds, once we start to grasp that everything doesn't work by magic.  Or do most, instead, cling to the magic?  Which way is better for you?  Do you want to know how those fireworks work?  Or do you prefer it to be magic?

Warning: Incoming Urges

I am slowly but irrevocably getting into a Christmas mood.  It's been dark outside all day.  We have delicious foods cooking.  I'm drinking red wine.  "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is playing on iTunes.  I crave the bite of cold air on my skin, the winter crowds merrily walking around the shops, the speculation on what presents my nieces might like.

Until today I had not felt it.  But now.. watch out world!  Christmas is coming, and I am ready.(1)

1)  Coworkers, be warned that Christmas lights are going up as soon as I find them in my boxes.  Also, I may hum Christmas tunes and/or be in a good mood.  This is your only warning.