Mind Review

Today I learned that present-giving is a manifestation of American’s manifest destiny.  You could say, our own personal M.D (not like the doctor).

Why do people like getting presents so much?  For someone’s birthday, people don’t get underwear, or food, or a house (well, rarely); things needed for survival (unless you like going commando).  Instead, we get surprises, mostly things that will clutter up our house and make us look rich.

So is present giving a symbol of capitalism?  Maybe.  But we’re always told that giving presents will benefit us because we’ll feel happy.  As in, spending money makes us happy.  That’s not very capitalistic, is it.  It could be though that we expect others to return the favor.

Frederick Jackson Turner had a ‘Frontier Thesis’.  It said that as Americans we have a natural curiosity that gives us an eternal need to expand.   West, South, whatever.

That could be a reason people in America are so fat—they took things literally.

As far as we know, we’ve discovered every land mass there is on Earth.  We can’t expand more.  So, we’re working on expanding within our own plot of space.  That’s where presents come it.

In my experience, having an unopened present is the best part.  There can be anything you want inside.  

This is similar to Schrodinger’s theory: we cannot tell what is inside a sealed container until it is open.  The present can be whatever you want it to be.  Keeping the container sealed is more exciting.

But we want to open that box.  Some of us can’t even wait until when we’re supposed to.  Because of anticipation and curiosity; two traits, claims Frederick Jackson Turner, which are core parts of American culture.  Basically, making us unable to resist the unknown.

By getting a present, you now own a little more in the world.   Your life, measured in stuff, just got brighter, richer.

Our curiosity makes us great for receiving presents.  It plays to our basic desire of wanting more.  Kids.