The Modern Mythos

Santa Claus. Kwanzaa-bot. The Hanukkah zombie. Icons all.

But I guess the question on most people's minds are, do we need them?

By them, I mean symbols. Symbols of our holidays and our culture, of our society, of who we are as humans. Many would argue that in the year 2008, we're above such silly and cartoonish images. We should be about logic and reason.

But I would say not. Such symbols are apart of who we are. They may not be embraced by all, but to deny their place in our culture would be ludicrous.

Humans are social animals, and much of our culture comes from story telling. Whether the story is still applicable in today's world doesn't matter. People don't say that the Greek story of Prometheus stealing fire from the gods and bringing it down to man is a story that should be gotten rid of, just because we know how to make fire and acknowledge that is only a story.

Modern myth and fantasy are crucial to our society. Not everyone will always believe, but those who do truly appreciate the mythos for what it is. It is a story to help us as humans, and give us insight into ourselves and our nature.