The "would you rather" game... (Holiday edition)

[Peregrine Swift]

Backstory: Just like almost any normal kid, I used to believe in Santa. And not because of the presents as much as the idea of it. The thought of someone whose existence revolved around bringing happiness to every child on the planet, be it a rich, poor, white yellow or black kid even if just for a day... it was something that brought a lot of hope to me growing up in a neighborhood of destitute poverty. Later in life it took a lot of maturity on my part to accept reality in a positive light, and see that even without make-believe and fantasy, and even despite the horrors of the world, there is still much wonder and beauty to be seen.

I guess that's where I drew the inspiration for this "would you rather" question:
Would you rather have a lie that gave you hope or a truth that broadened your perspective?

Anyone's welcome to participate, just answer the question and ask your own! No backstory needed, I just wanted to kick it off with one ;)

[Vaddix]

Simone. Im gonna make you think:P
You say children cant distinguish between fantasy and reality, But i will go as far as saying adults cant either.
Im going to use christianity as an example cuase i dont belevie in it and i feel its betrayed me spiritually by closing me off to my potential. I dont know your religion so please dont take offense to me saying this, and same with anyone reading it. Its just simply my opinion.
So i for one think the religion is false, a work of fantasy. However if you disagree feel free to substitute Christianity with one you don't believe in, cause, hey, they cant all be right right? or submit to the fact that right here right now we can never have a solid gold answer.
So yes Adults still cant distinguish between fantasy and reality too.

And to Peregrine's question, I would rather be told the unwavering truth. Though a lot of the time i dont like it, and its difficult to accept. If we where all told the truth there would be no problems.


Simone said:

A similar question is in the modern version of "Miracle on 34th Street" based on the 1947 classic. My 7 year old son no longer believed in Santa a couple of years ago. I think he was 4 when he asked why Santa had the same wrapping paper as I did. There were probably lots of other 'clues' that he picked up on. Then he said "mom, Santa isn't real, is he?" So I told him that there was a person named St. Nicholas, who lived a long time ago, who I believe is now in heaven, who represents the spirit of Christmas for many people because he was a very generous man who gave gifts to some young girls in need, but the story of the man with the red suit, reindeer and sled is a story. I asked him if he would have rather I told him the truth (as best as I know it) to begin with and he said 'yes, because it's kind of like lying, isn't it?" So I explained to him that some children like to imagine the fantasy and want to enjoy the story for the fun of it, but if he wanted to know the real truth from now on, I would just tell him the real truth to the best of my ability. So he told me that he just wanted to know the real truth and not the stories. My daughter is 4 and doesn't seem to understand the whole thing yet, but seems to be the type that enjoys the fantasies. She hasn't yet separated truth from fantasy yet. Every child is different. Some children enjoy the fantasy and even though they might even know the truth, they 'play along' because it's fun. That's how my nephew was I think. In any case, I think a lot of the Santa story has to do with the fact that children don't understand how to separate truth from fantasy yet and it is very difficult to explain until they are a certain age. Those with children might understand what I'm saying. But anyway, for myself, of course I'd rather have a truth that broadened my perspective. Sometimes I think that the truth is stranger than fiction, though, so I'm also very accepting of the mysteries of the universe and of the human mind that we do not yet understand. I try to teach my son to form his own opinions and to give him a broad perspective of various beliefs, not just my own. So I just tell him "some people believe this or that or the other thing etc. and I believe this, and ask your dad for his opinion too." There are so many things that are just unknown and very little we know with absolute certainty.