Let's look beyond New Orleans, though, at a problem that is more widespread. Why do people behave this way? Should we blame poverty? Should we blame ignorance? Should we blame abusive parenting? Should we blame George Bush? Should we blame?
I read a couple of articles just today that made me think about this. One was an article in our local newspaper by Marc H. Wilson, a rabbi who is a syndicated writer. ( MarcMusing.com ) The other is an interview by Sara Davidson with Charlize Theron in the October 2005 Reader's Digest.
Rabbi Wilson, when pondering the behavior exhibited in New Orleans during the recent catastrophe, referenced Thomas Hobbes' quote that "man is a beast to his fellow man." He begs for us to disprove Hobbes' theory that man is inherently evil. Paraphrasing what I consider to be the article's most valuable paragraph won't do it justice. Instead, I quote:
. . . upbringing will matter more than any other factor, but it won't simply be at momma's breast. It will be comprehensive. It will include the kind of neighborhood, even block, about which Dr. Martic Luther King spoke, where every mother was understood to be the guarantor, disciplinarian and tattle-tale of every other mother's son and daughter. It will include schools that are not afraid of teaching values, despite the canards warning of a cabal of secular humanism. It will include churches and synagogues that preach as core doctrine that heaven derives from good deeds.
. . . (can) taking potshots at firefighters and cops one day become just an ugly memory, because we have finally figured out ways to nurture our kids and not tolerate even the first time they act like a little beast?
I couldn't agree more.
We must teach our children to behave themselves. We must train them to care about mankind. We humans must shoulder the blame for neglecting to rear our children with values, morals, and compassion for one another. In other words, we need to pass on from generation to generation what is right and what is wrong. Regardless of one's situation in life, what is lawful and decent remains the same, as does what is evil and unacceptable. No disaster justifies otherwise.
Furthermore, it is not exclusively up to the schools to teach values to our children. It is up to those of us who claim them on our tax deductions! It is our responsibility to show them, to give them good role models, and to made darn sure they know the difference between Reality and reality TV shows and video games! It is up to us to be sure they do not become desensitized to suffering and inhumanity. Those things should never be acceptable.
Yes, we must fight for survival. Yes, we may even have to make tough decisions to save ourselves and our families. But rape? stealing big screen TV's? I don't think so.
Another thing we must teach our children is to take responsibility for themselves. They should never come to expect that life (or the government) owes them anything. While abiding by the laws of decency, we must take care of ourselves - as well as the weaker among us or those who do not have a voice.
Charlize Theron must have an amazing mother. In her interview with Sara Davidson, she mentions many things that she's learned from Gerda Theron, not the least of which is the necessity to stand up for oneself and take responsibility for your own actions. She says her mom's philosophy was, "If you get yourself in trouble, you've got to get yourself out of trouble." She says she was also "raised with the idea that you can feel sorry for yourself, but then, get over it, because it doesn't get you anywhere."
Currently, Ms. Theron is developing a show about a women's correctional facility. Her take on girls getting involved in physical violence these days is quoted as follows:
It's not rap. It's not violence in movies. At the end of the day, the problem is what's not happening in the homes of these families. Mothers aren't raising their children to know what's wrong and right.
Exactly.
1 comment:
Amen. There were 2 things I learned growing up that I've passed along to my child. The first is that "times may change, but morals do not". The second is "if you get in trouble at school (or basically anywhere else), you will get in more trouble at home". My parents were very loving, but they had been raised to be respectful and caring individuals, and they expected the same from me. I'm thankful they did. I feel for the children whose parents don't set high expectations for them or don't teach them to respect authority.
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