Santa lets the hedgehog out of the bag

“Be not troubled,” said Santa to Donald and Xi, appearing suddenly in both of their dreams and bringing them together in his cabin. Three bosomy armchairs made at Santa’s Dreamshop were waiting for them by the kindling fire. There was a small table serving a plate of Mrs. Santa's puff pastries between the half circle of chairs.

“Xi, I was very happy to meet you here at Santa’s Village a few years ago when you visited Finland. During our meeting, I sensed that you – I assume I can call you both by first names – that you have sincerity and warmth hidden deep inside. I can surely remember you too, Donald, since you were a little boy. My helpers and I have followed your lives over many years. There were no Christmas celebrations at Xi’ house, but for you, Donald, the season’s been problematic despite your fancy setting – usually due to your older brother. I’m sorry about what happened to him in the end.”

“You should already know why we’re all in this dream together. You are currently the two most important world leaders. I want to discuss the fox and the hedgehog with you. You’ll know what I’m talking about. Remember that I can see into your hearts, and in this dream, I’ll reveal your thoughts to all of us. You can start, Xi: are you a fox or a hedgehog?” Santa inquired.

Despite being in a dream, Xi remembered vividly how his father, who worked in an important position, couldn’t help him after the purge. Xi was no more than ten years old at the time. A tear rolled down his cheek as he stammered: “Only the strong survive, and the weak shall fall... or at least they’ll be swept aside. Development requires unanimity and strong leadership. Under my regime, my country will be the number one financial, political and military power in Asia and the entire world.”

“What about you, Donald, are you a fox or a hedgehog?” Santa continued without commenting Xi’s response.

Seeing Xi’s path of life and sensing his feelings in the dream, Donald felt curiosity and compassion towards the other leader. “I’m huge. I’m the best ever who... ehem... Well, it’s true that I play hard, but that’s just how the world is. You must be tough to succeed. You’ve both seen what kind of a success story I’ve built around myself, and soon my country will be the supreme power and military power. Nobody can take that position from us, not even...” Donald spoke heatedly but a bit on the defence side. He didn’t finish his last sentence but took a huge bite of the pastry offered by Santa.

“You successes and fortunes cannot be denied. However, think about the head start you’ve gotten thanks to your father’s work and resources,” Santa remarked, looking Donald in the eye.

“You must have noticed how similar and controversial both of your statements are. If life in this world is a mere competition for power, the mankind will perish. Competition only allows one participant to win while others must lose, which doesn’t guarantee a solid fortune for the winner. The history is full of defeated winners. Supremacy always leads to exploitation of the weaker, followed by revolutions and wars,” Santa preached in a gentle voice, offering more pastries to the leaders and taking one himself.

“I’ll leave you to your dreams now to think about this. Regarding foxes and hedgehogs, it’s indisputable that the world has been mainly led by foxes. There’s been development, but the price has often been paid by oppressed peoples and cultures.

Our future could be different. Our skills and knowledge have reached a stage from which we can proceed to the next level. I’d like to call it heart- and culture-driven development. Earth and humankind need more hedgehogs – or hedgehog quality – in leading positions. You can nurture the hedgehog in you and lead the whole world to make it a better place together – in word and especially in deed.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow, Xi,” Donald said sleepily, yawning. Before Xi had time to answer, they were both asleep. The corners of their mouths were covered in icing sugar as they dossed in the comfortable chairs by the fire.

“I’m sorry about my certain earlier statements regarding the UN,” began President of the United States Donald Trump his speech. “I’ve had thorough discussions with the leader of China, Xi Jinping, my ‘hedgehog brother,’ standing here next to me. We want to suggest something new related to the UN procedures. The most important thing is that China and the US have agreed to vote in unison as often as possible in both the Security Council as well as the General Assembly. The keys to solve any existing conflict anywhere in the world are always local. However, we are sure that with the help of international communities and with some more global cooperation we can advance reconciliation and peaceful coexistence in any area of tension. We will both nurture this dialogue in the future with all our forces. It is in the best interest of both our countries and peoples,” the President said.

Party leader Xi Jinping continued: “It is clear that we two cannot alone solve all the conflicts. Therefore, we invite all the countries, their leaders and citizens, to renew the procedures with us. The most profound challenge in international cooperation is that we’re all acting like clever foxes prowling for our own benefit. This has led to looking at matters from an individual angle, the negotiating parties or their handlers not giving in one bit and interpreting issues in a tendentious way, not listening nor empathizing with the opposing party. This is why many local problems escalate and become endless dilemmas of international politics. We believe there is another way, the Hedgehog Way.

Foxes are like a group of kids solving puzzles. They’ll hoard all the pieces that they can get their paws on. Regardless to which puzzle the pieces belong. The foxes put the pieces in a box that says ‘Mine’. Hedgehog, on the contrary, are more interested in what the puzzle depicts – its purpose. They finish the puzzle in a team, frame it and hang it on the wall in a room that says ‘Shared’,” said the party leader.

Epilogue

The message of this year’s tale, of Christmas and Santa, is the following: “You can tell a fox by what it says on Christmas Day and a hedgehog by what it does on the other 364 days of the year.”