This time of the year makes me reflective and sentimental, so here’s my thought for today:
My kids met Santa in front of the supermarket recently. It was big deal for them. In a few years, they’re going to realize that he doesn’t exist, but I don’t think they’re going to be disillusioned. I wasn’t when I found out. Knowing that my parents had stayed up late and quietly slipped presents under the tree now feels more beautiful and important than the idea of Santa. I’m not the first to observe this: Las Vegas magician Teller makes the point eloquently in the 2013 documentary Tim’s Vermeer.
From the outside, science and innovation look like the work of solitary geniuses dreaming up new theories. In reality, to get to anything meaningful requires hundreds or thousands of us, working together for years. For the most important things, it may even take our entire global civilization. A lot of the time, it doesn’t work out, yet we keep going. In every way I can think of, that shared belief is more wonderful than the myth.
Merry Christmas!
Nehaveigur 