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A Better Birthday Gift
How to make the most out of gifts
If you believe the records, the origin of birthday gifts is closely linked to evil.
The Pagans believed that evil spirits culminate on your birthday, and thus need to be warded off. Gifts purge evil. They are, or used to be, tools to support you for another year of life: charms, candles, and talismans. As we evolved, so did our traditions, and the charms and talismans morphed into clothes, food, and money.
The cake is a more recent tradition, starting around the industrial revolution, where mass production made cakes affordable. And of course, with industrialisation comes consumerism. If we can create cakes en-masse, we need people to buy cakes en-masse. At least once a year per person, for sure. Happy Birthday to you.
This is one of my favourite stories.
Most people don’t know this. Why, then, do people today give birthday gifts? Reciprocation and tradition. Alice gave me a present, so I need to give her one. This is how it has always been.
I like the idea of birthday gifts as tools to support you for another year of life. However, for someone like me — with access to a computer and the internet — clothes, food, and money aren’t tools I need from others. Health care all over the world is improving, and I’m more worried…
