Old habits are hard to break

Not just a funny cartoon, but full of symbolism.

The young child on the left is hoping that the Easter bunny will leave him some candy to find. If the Easter bunny likes him, he will leave the candy where he can find it. He still has to search for it so success in this area is...a reward. Then, there is the Easter element: originally a pagan festival, adapted for religious means.

The regular child in the middle is hoping that Santa Clause will bring him some toys. If the child is good, then Santa just might do that. He doesn't have to search for them, but they will not appear until the end of the year. That sounds like...another reward. Santa Clause is better known as Saint Nicholas. He's not even a real saint - a phony. Then there is the modern fairy-tale figure. No comment. Christmas: a winter solstice festival, once again, adapted for religious purposes.

Finally, the grown child on the right is hoping for another reward. After a lifetime of candy and playing, he now wants something better for himself. Maybe a cure for his diabetes, or a new eye to replace the one that he lost playing with his Jarts®? No, he wants the most selfish gift of all, eternal life. Not satisfied with his normal allotment, he wants more, more, more. He wants that carefree existence where everything is nice and there is no pain and suffering and all his good friends are with him. I said good, not fun. That's quite a demand. It's gonna take some serious mythology to fulfill this one.

Good luck, buddy. Old habits are hard to break.