Holidays and natural cynicism
It's odd being a catholic-raised atheist during the holidays. The religious themes behind everything tend to ring hollow, but there is something to a mid-winter holiday, spent with those you love, sharing good food and cheer, because so many cultures have come up with the notion independently.
The reflexive reaction to religion, especially at this time of year when there's a somewhat hypocritical "you should be devoting more attention to a faith that i ignore except on christmas and easter" is probably best summed up by:
But really, i think Pratchett summed it up best in a conversation betweeen Death and his granddaughter Susan at the end of Hogfather.
for those not vid-capable, the conversation goes:
Death: Humans need fantasy to *be* human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.
Susan: With tooth fairies? Hogfathers?
Death: Yes. As practice, you have to start out learning to believe the little lies.
Susan: So we can believe the big ones?
Death: Yes. Justice, mercy, duty. That sort of thing.
Susan: They're not the same at all.
Death: You think so? Then take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder, and sieve it through the finest sieve, and then show me one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy. And yet, you try to act as if there is some ideal order in the world. As if there is some, some rightness in the universe, by which it may be judged.
Susan: But people have got to believe that, or what's the point?
Death: You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?
The reflexive reaction to religion, especially at this time of year when there's a somewhat hypocritical "you should be devoting more attention to a faith that i ignore except on christmas and easter" is probably best summed up by:
But really, i think Pratchett summed it up best in a conversation betweeen Death and his granddaughter Susan at the end of Hogfather.
Click to viewfor those not vid-capable, the conversation goes:
Death: Humans need fantasy to *be* human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.
Susan: With tooth fairies? Hogfathers?
Death: Yes. As practice, you have to start out learning to believe the little lies.
Susan: So we can believe the big ones?
Death: Yes. Justice, mercy, duty. That sort of thing.
Susan: They're not the same at all.
Death: You think so? Then take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder, and sieve it through the finest sieve, and then show me one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy. And yet, you try to act as if there is some ideal order in the world. As if there is some, some rightness in the universe, by which it may be judged.
Susan: But people have got to believe that, or what's the point?
Death: You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?