Three UK headlines caught my eye today as I scanned the news. First a move bring creationism back into schools. Then a story of a supply teacher being sacked for telling Year Three children at Blackshaw Lane Primary School in Oldham, Greater Manchester, that there is no Santa. The children were very upset by the news.
One parent said: “My son came home and said that his substitute teacher had told the class that Santa doesn’t exist and it’s your mum and dad that put out presents for them.”
The third story was about UFO sightings over the West Midlands in the UK. Many people simulataneously saw unusual bright lights flashing across the sky and several made videos. The Ministry of Defence, records alleged sightings but does not believe in anything beyond natural phenomenon or ‘lights off other aircraft’. It is not investigating. Not exactly Mulder and Scully is it?
Still, all three stories are really about faith or believing in things that many believe in yet that others either don’t believe in or can’t see or imagine. Faith is very real to people of faith yet can be seen as subjective by others.
Knowledge is objective and a tangible commodity but this has not always been valued. That’s why we are spearheading the move towards monetising your intellectual property. Let’s face it, skilled and talented individuals from all walks of life benefit from these skills, look no further than a Premier League footballer or leading pop star for examples. So let’s see those with knowledge share it further and benefit in the process.
At this time of the year with goodwill to all please no theses on why Santa can’t possibly exist! However, any video footage of the alleged UFOs over Dudley would make for interesting watching.
Keep the faith, whatever it is you trust and believe in. And keep sharing your knowledge.