A mythology is a story that expresses what the culture telling it wants to be true. It is an expression of values. For example, our culture loves re-telling th

A mythology is a story that expresses what the culture telling it wants to be true. It is an expression of values. For example, our culture loves re-telling the story of Lord of the Rings. Why? We want it to be true that even in a world with much hardship and fallibility, we humans will honor our alliances and face horrors for the sake of each other. If we believe this and if we see that other people around us believe this then you know what happens? People feel more willing to make sacrifices for the sake of standing by their allies than they otherwise would be. Concretely, US representatives are more willing to approve of spending money to station troops in Poland. They worry less that they'll be voted out for how they are spending taxpayer money. This highlights an interesting property of myths: The re-telling of them makes them more true. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Santa Claus does in fact exist as a role in society. My grandfather acted as him for many years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffUjwmXt9Go https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffUjwmXt9Go