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The theory is: Legends happen because there exists an ultimate Human Resources Department (Let’s call it Chosen One Recruitment or COR) that has positions to fill and relentless headhunters out to get them filled. It’s like when Santa fell of the roof in the Santa Clause, Tim Allen didn’t really have a choice, he was the “CHOSEN ONE (CO)”. And inversely, if you or I “choose” to be Santa for instance, well, COR may just send us a polite letter thanking us for our effort, and we’d never get that determining return call. Hard work, talent, being in the right place at the right time, friends in high places, money, open position availability, etc. all come into play, but it’s up to COR. But let’s be fair to COR. COR is REALLY good at what it does!

Whether you know it or not, we ALL work for COR. Everyone of us, the entire human race, myself included. If elections were held this way, it would take the fun out of cheating!
The actual process of elevating a candidate to a successful CO is is best compared with water over a rock. Like water over a rock, the selection process combines the power of statistics with human romantic passion, our creative capacity, and stick-to-it-iveness and a slow-but-steady tick-toc timetable that resembles Darwinian change, to permanently etch “Chosen Ones” into the stone tablets of mankind’s Hall of Fame. This makes for some statistically sound data and some choices that are truly taking the cues from the masses with time on its side. If any of this makes sense?

Every pop passing out cigars is certain his new baby is destined to be a “Chosen One”. And back in high school we all had at least one future Robin Williams or Joe Montana. As our world grew beyond the walls of our high school, most big fish in small tanks became just another sardine. Newspapers and social media networks are filled with people in the limelight. Publishers and publicists select their own “chosen ones” all the time, but if COR isn’t interested, the candidates are sifted out like pebbles in a gold pan. Rising stars are all the buzz for a week, month or year, and even if they truly make us marvel, smile or frown, without COR the new car paint and the head-turning shine gives way to a dull, dusty coat of camouflage, and they go unnoticed. Humans are far from omnipotent, we can’t even figure out how Google selects “chosen ones”, how can we hope to unravel COR’s Chosen One Selection secret algorithm? If anyone really cracked the code they’d be selling us cheat sheets on a daily basis in our spam mail. And to be fair to Google, the day the code is cracked is the day the search engine becomes less useful. Manipulated information is never valuable information. Isn’t that what Hollywood tries to do with varying success? But Hollywood only refers their CO candidates. They invest, polish, promote, publicize and advertise. But only COR verifies them and canonizes these “One Name Icons” as “chosen ones”. And the extensive scope, long reach, infinite timetable, proprietary algorithm of the process preserve assure the quality of and qualification of the winners: COs deserve to be COs.

And there are many Darwinian-like factors that fine tune the process. If CO wanna-be’s catch wind of the fact that COR is calling a competitor back for a second interview, then BOOOOOM”! An exponential explosion of resistance, jealousy, fear and anger that ordinary people will never know or encounter is directed at those chosen few semi-finalist as the process weeds out the frail as they begin to make their ascent while all of us mortals remained complacent on the ground biding our time. It’s survival of the fittest. Most spectators are accepting, but the most zealous wanna-be candidates pull out their pins and only go down popping as many balloons as they can, based on the common theory that “if you can’t rise to the top, you can at least appear respectably tall if you go around chopping off heads”.

Let’s look at some actual examples: And since we already brought up this one-name icon, let’s use it again: Santa. He’s been through it all, and like most good heroes, withstood the test of time, the pin pricks, gradually ascending, sometimes with the blessing of organized religions, other times being admonished and outlawed by the same. Today Santa’s CO status accepted by and transcends organized religions at the same time. Remember, it’s easier to get the job at an interview if you don’t look hungry, and Santa like so many other successful COs has had the advantage of not giving a flying sleigh about the entire selection process, and being completely consumed with his purpose in life. Despite the wanna-be competition and dirty tricks, conflicting special interest groups, Santa’s dedication to his mission caught the attention of GOR and so one day the post person knocked on Santa’s door with a certified letter, and when the man in red saw what it was he tossed it in the round file. “Too busy for this!” he grumbled. And perhaps this point is worth noting: COs become COs more easily when they stop trying or never try.

Another syndrome that comes into play is “CO Envy”. A mere mention your favorite CO as perhaps being equal to or greater than some one else’s favorite CO, has been the basis fervent attacks. John Lennon was famous for saying things that got people angry, and when he said, “The Beatles are bigger than Jesus…” he ruffled a LOT of feathers.

Try the Pone Test:

The telephone test is a good indicator. Call up anyone and ask the following as a test:

1. What do you think of + (CO first name)
2. What do you think of + (CO last name)

It is a monumental achievement to be recognized by a single name, first or last. And testament to a monopoly if an individual “owns” a first name that is recognized worldwide. Santa being a great example. But Santa’s last name is too common to stand on its own. Commonly spelled “Klaus” Klaus is the # 5681 ranked last name in the United States.

Try the phone test above with the phonetic name: “Lennon”. Without the benefit of the printed word, and the age of the person on the listening side of the phone being a big factor, a little bit of confusion may arise: Two possible disparate answers: “Lenin was a important historical figure in Russian history…” Or: “He was my favorite Beatle!

Do you know who “Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre” It’s Cher’s real name, and a COR-endorsed first name CO Icon. Try Cher with the phone test above. The results should be pretty predictable. Last name, one name icon status is a high COR honor too, but still easier to achieve than first name one name icon status, simply because there are fewer people with the same last name. A good example is “Einstein”. But sometimes as the test of time will have it, one name icons are partially stolen from their bearers: Do a search for “Aristotle”, and the philosopher will rank highly, but more contemporary icon we all have come to know with the last name “Onassis” will show up on the first page of most search engines. “Kennedy” is a highly recognized last name that branded an entire family. At least they keep the competition in the family which seems appropriate for a family in politics.

“Ali” punched his way and talked his wayinto everyone’s long term memory. The name “Armstrong” was probably originally derived in much the same way that “Big Foot” was derived his, anatomically speaking, but now is shared by a few very famous people, notably: “Lance”, “Louis” and “Neil”. “Beethoven” is Beethoven; as is “Bach” and “Motzart”, “Brando”, “Bogart” and “Napoleon”. Some have achieved their fame through horrific deeds: “Capone” and “Hitler” come to mind. But like them or not “villian” are COR job opening as well. And depending upon what part of town you went to school in, infamous characters such as “Stalin”,”Castro” and “Mao” (I don’t think too many people knew him as “Zedong”.) take their title as heros or villains or hero/villans.

Like Santa, there are other COs that have never shared the burdensome challenges of the material world. Pinocchio comes to mind: Problem to resolve: a hero to fight dishonesty. (COR hired him on the first interview.) And Scrooge (Like “Zerox” when the name transcends a proper noun status to become more: a verb, an adjective…) Scrooge was sent to us to fight greed and thanklessness. My friend Santa came about in much the same way. The foe: Selfishness. But do these fictitious characters deserve to be COs? The proverbial question in the mind of many a curious child: “Is Santa Real?” I struggled with for a while, since lying offends me, especially to a loved one and a child. But I no longer struggle with the answer since I provide this a more eloquent and inspired by the moment version of the following crude statement: If we learn something very important from someone, he or she is more real than a flesh and blood person who never gave so much to the world. That makes the answer easy and honest. I heard a rumor that “Harry Potter” is being called in for an COR interview.

Is a DO title a real appraisal of value? Evolution is effective because it works the same way COR works. No rapid changes, unlimited opportunities testing, acceptance and rejection, the entire planet having a say in what survives, what changes, what goes extinct. The system employs the entire planet and every life-form on it has a vote. That is exactly how core works and that is why the COR COs are so special!

So w naturally tend to maintain a reverence for this class of “Chosen Ones” that time has elevated to unique summit in our society. All this thinking came about in me as the result of a serendipitous event. I can identify with the character Tim Allen portrayed, (OK everybody, it’s Tool Time!), when Santa fell off the roof and Tim walked over to help, he had no idea of just what was in store for him! And similarly, when my young son and I (He was home sick that day I believe and we were playing on the computer) purchased “Worldcup.org” and”Santa.net” in the 1996, I had no idea of what I was in store for. I felt guilty (I was raised a RomanCatholic.) keeping worldcup.org because I felt I was keeping it away from its rightful home. I let that domain name go and now FIFA has it and that makes sense. But a funny thing happened in months that followed my son and I setting up Santa.net. The letters to Santa started coming in. Letters were mostly predictable: “For Christmas I want…” or “Sometimes I wasn’t good will I still get presents?” But, other times the letters surprised and moved me sometimes to the point of making me uncomfortable. Letters from parents AND kids: “I am too old to believe in you but my husband died in the war and please make the pain go away froour son this Christmas…” Or, don’t give me any presents this year just bring peace to the world. Well the letters keep coming…

I have no illusions of granduer. I feel like “Keeper of the Flame”. Santa is like Pinocchio. Santa’s message and role model function are real and important. And it’s by no means a DOT-COM type of role. Santa is not a store or a business. And DOT-NET feel like a much better fit for the name Santa. So a Mission Statement evolved for the site: Provide a positive spirit providing a non-denominational, spirit of giving and caring, fun to everyone with a cool dude named Santa as the host. (Not me by any means — I haven’t even been promoted to “Elf” yet!) Santa. That’s the man, icon, name, pure and simple. A one of a kind job description with a COR-endorsed first name basis CO name. I believe that the Spirit that is given to us when our souls are born is the spirit that Santa keeps alive. It is non-denominational and it is unselfish and compassionate. With these qualities the world will be a better place for our children and their children to. Without these qualities, the world may not be any more real than Pinocchio in a few years! So thanks Santa. And Stay Real! Read more on my Santa story and other one name icons on http://www.santa.net/Legends-Deserve-More.html