The phrase "If there is no God, then everything is allowed" is often attributed to Fyodor Dostoevsky - allegedly it appears in the novel "The Brothers Karamazov" and is a generalized embodiment of Ivan's views.
In the novel, however, this phrase is absent - it is found in the philosophical analytical works of various authors.
But the meaning is clear.
Seven years ago, when they began to demolish monuments to Lenin in Ukraine, one publicist commented: "If Lenin is not, then everything is allowed", meaning the exponential growth of lawlessness in the neighboring country, which, strictly speaking, Lenin created.
Now we have entered a new round of conventional wisdom - the Italian bishop Antonio Stagliano declared during a church service that Santa Claus does not exist.
Note that at that moment there were children in the church - perhaps even of preschool age.
The whole world is spinning in vain anticipation of Christmas and New Year - both fun and alarming: what will the next year bring, what will we receive as gifts?
And suddenly, a Catholic priest denies the existence of Santa Claus, that is, excuse me, the whole of St. Nicholas.
Before the children!
What does it mean?
This means that if Santa Claus is not there, then the Catholic Church is allowed everything!
And so much has been allowed for her in the last thousand years.
More recently, it was reported that a special commission found more than 216 thousand victims of Catholic priests - pedophiles since the early 1950s.
What will happen now that Santa Claus is no more?
Although, if you delve into the statement of Bishop Stagliano, everything will become not so absurd and not so terrifying.
The bishop said that the modern image of Santa Claus is a product of the marketing technologies of one company that produces carbonated drinks.
The red color of Santa's caftan and his diabetic obesity hint at this.
And Santa himself became the personification of the consumer society - the forefront of the annual monetary obscurantism.
After all, it is on New Year's Eve that astronomical sums are spent on the Christmas industry - endless trees, decorations, illumination, corporate parties, delicacies.
And gifts, gifts, gifts ...
How can children not believe in Santa Claus, as Bishop Stagliano would tell us, if this bearded fatrest brings them new iPhones and consoles?
You don't want to, but you will still believe - even if you see your father sneaking into the night to the tree!
Meanwhile, the same bishop said, in poor refugee families, children do not even know about Santa Claus, because they are not entitled to any gifts: they would give them food and would not let them freeze - that is the whole gift. Here, of course, one can argue why it is precisely in the families of migrants that they do not know about Christmas traditions - it may very well be because these people arrived from those countries where there are no such traditions at all. But the bishop's thought is clear: Santa Claus gives good gifts not to those who behaved well in the past year, but to those whose parents earn a lot.
Here tradition comes to mind - that is, where did it all come from. A New Year's gift should be a symbolic encouragement, in addition, the host of Christmas characters is not limited to Santa Claus. He is not even limited to Santa Claus and Snegurochka. Austria has Krampus, Germany has Knecht Ruprecht. Both are the embodiment of the principle of Hegelian dialectics about the unity and struggle of opposites. They accompany Santa Claus, but they are natural devils. And if children who behaved well receive candy from St. Nicholas, then children who behaved badly receive rods or coal from Krampus or Knecht Ruprecht.
Here, by the way, one can draw a simple analogy and connect the planetary misfortunes of the last two years with the fact that our world has not received rods and symbolic coal in boots for a long time.
Humanity has believed that it behaves well.
What can we do if Santa Claus is not there?
Refer to his, Santa's, origins.
Namely - to St. Nicholas of Mirliki.
After all, where did the tradition of Christmas gifts and even the red cap on the head of Santa Claus come from?
The fact is that in the life of St. Nicholas an episode is described when he presented a dowry to the three unfortunate daughters of a ruined man.
He gave gifts to the poor, he gave gifts to the unfortunate and the outcast.
And the cap of Santa is a miter, a bishop's headdress, modified and culturally appropriated.
So maybe there really is no Santa Claus? More precisely, maybe it is not needed in its current form? Is it not needed as a symbol of aggressive marketing, as a symbol of insane and exorbitant spending, as a symbol of a vain search for that very mood? Maybe the time has come for Saint Nicholas - the personification of everything reasonable, modest, kind and active?
In the end, you can give up your new iPhone this time and donate money to a charity.
And not necessarily for sick children.
No, for sick children, of course, it's also good, but besides them, there are those to whom Santa Claus never comes - homeless, old, lonely, sick with alcoholism and drug addiction.
All of us are not just not ideal, but initially in some way flawed: greedy, proud and blind when it comes to those who are worse off than us.
We are all, to one degree or another, the very same Santa Claus - overweight in soul, shiny and loving our well-being.
And it’s probably time to say, “Santa Claus is dead.
Long live Santa Claus! .. Excuse me, Saint Nicholas! "
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.