September 11

Greetings from Santa’s Friend!

I asked Santa how the events of September 11th had affected him. This is what he had to say.

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Initially I was discouraged and depressed. But when I saw what happened as a result my spirits lifted. Good can grow out of evil and the horror of the Twin Tower attack has resulted in a good portion of the world getting a "wake-up" call.

Most people know "what" I do but have no idea "why." It bears repeating. My objective is Peace on Earth good will to men.

So what is peace? In my opinion being at peace does not mean that you are deliriously happy. It means that you are free from strife.

And what causes strife?

Strife is primarily the result of envy and greed.

If you have two groups juxtaposed where one group "has" and the other group "has not" the "has not" group will be envious. They will feel cheated - a feeling that easily leads to strife.

The best method for coping with this situation is for the "haves" to help the "have-nots." I don’t mean "hand-outs." They cheapen. I prefer a "hand up." If you give the "have-nots" the opportunity to move into the "have" column you build mutual respect. It’s the old principle "Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Give him a fishhook and he will be able to feed himself for the rest of his life."

It is much more difficult to deal with strife resulting from greed. This is a case where one party looks at the other and by their actions say "I’m better than you. I deserve more." The attitude alone can lead to trouble, but when the greedy one starts to "take" strife is inevitable. The Osama bin Ladens of the world want power and are attempting to take it. The result is strife.

It is unfortunate but a substantial number of people in the world have arrived at the point where behavior that can only result in strife has become acceptable. For example the "rule of law" which has taken ages to evolve to the point where justice was possible is now regressing to the point where justice is not based on what is morally right or wrong but rather a case of what can you get away with under the statutes. There is even effort to redraft the statutes to give the powerful more power, an action that can only lead to more strife.

By the same token financial institutions have gotten to the point where the drive for maximizing profits has resulted in legalized usury.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not condemning those who live by these new rules. They don’t know any better. They are a product of their training. And it is going to be extremely difficult if not impossible to change their view of things.

It is for this reason that I feel Mahatma Ghandi was so right when he said: "If we are ever to have real peace in the world we must start with the children. It is for that reason that I have concentrated my efforts on the children.

When they are little I permit them to enjoy from a selfish point of view but as they grow I help them learn that it may be fun to be on the receiving end but it is even more rewarding to be on the giving end.

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At that point Santa pulled himself up short and said, "But why am I telling you all this? You already know it. After all you wrote the book!" And he was right. He was referring to From Saint to Santa, the Autobiography of Saint Nicholas as revealed to a Friend, which was released as of October 2001.

I’ll be in touch next month.

Santa’s Friend,

Glenn

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www.Santa1.com The website that tells the truth about St Nicholas and Santa Claus. Featuring the books: "There Really Is A Santa Claus" and "How Do You Tell A Child There Is No/A Santa Claus"

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