I feel that lying is immoral. I'm the type of person that would take the truth above any sort of lie. I would take the truth even when the truth and the lie both results in the same outcome, only the truth hurts more. I prefer truth over lies. This is the reason why claims about religion annoy me so much in principle. I want to believe in something because it's true, not because it's comforting. Half truths and lying by omission are deceptive and in my eyes almost equivalent to a flat out lie. Why is it so fucking difficult to get the truth? We're so used to lying to everybody to the point where we are expected to lie or deceive people when their emotions are in danger. If I asked a girl out and she's not into me, I don't want some bullshit like "I'm not looking for a boyfriend" or something. Just say it. It's like a band-aid. Rip it off, prevent scarring. Get it over with. I deserve the truth and if you don't give it, it is on you. I don't care if it's hard to tell the truth. Just refuse to tell the answer if you're so embarrassed or uncomfortable.Prevent anybody from getting the wrong idea and keeping false hope that will get shattered in the end all the same. I don't want false hope, I want the real deal. I want to prepare emotionally and physically for whatever comes my way before I hits me in the face. And it's funny to me that relationships go under due to 'lack of communication'. Or the ridiculous bullshit mind-games that people play in relationships. Be real. Tell the truth. Know what your standing is with everybody else and vice versa.
Now, back to Santa Clause. Some may argue that lying to children about Santa Clause gives them a sense of wonder. This is bafflement. This is confusion about how the laws of physics works and testing the incredulity of little kids by feeding them lies. Sure, with religion the idea has a higher chance of actually sticking with them into adulthood, but at least from a religious person's point of view, they are teaching their kid the truth. Teaching kids about Santa Clause is flat out intentional lying. There are many things in this world that are amazing and filled with wonder. Teach a kid what a cloud is. Or what a rainbow is. Or what the Sun is. Or how when we look out into the night sky, we are looking back in time. There is so much magic in reality that we don't need to start inventing myths and superstitions about this fat dude flying around in the air assigning toys to kids he deems nice instead of naughty after around the clock surveillance. And science has practical applications too. Beyond just wonder, IT'S REAL. The world revolves around science. This is education along with wonder.
Have you see Vsauce? It is a Youtube channel for mainstream science, where very interesting questions are posed. How much does a shadow weigh? Did you know the same effect that makes the sky blue is also what makes our eyes blue? Etc etc. And it is the strongest science Youtube channel to date. It fills people with curiosity, with wonder. And it is also educational. We don't need a fake fat guy in the way to get there. Or we can turn Santa into an educational activity. Kid asks if Santa is real? Ask him or her to investigate. How would we go about figuring this out?
I'm not a parent. I don't have PHD in child raising. But when in doubt, stick with the truth. I don't think messing with the kid's sense of reality. You may argue that kids taught about Santa typically do just as well as the ones not taught about Santa Clause, but similar things can be said for teaching people about astrology. It's one more piece of falsehood and pseudoscience that just might stick. You cannot encourage healthy skepticism on one hand and then teach them about Santa being real on the other. And kids are still learning things about the world, and incorporating what they learn into their grasp of reality. Don't chuck lies in there.
Wonder is wonder. Wonder doesn't have to mean lies.
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