From the widespread belief in God, and Santa, Sam drew a conclusion: it was possible for almost everyone to be self-evidently wrong about something. “Mass delusions are a property of the world, as it turns out,” he said. He had to accept that there was nothing he could do about this. There was no point in arguing with other kids’ belief in Santa Claus. Yet he didn’t feel the slightest need to pretend to agree. He simply came to terms with the fact that the world could be completely wrong about something, and he could be completely right. There could be a kind of equilibrium in which everyone
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