Thursday, November 25, 2004
Thanksgiving
As Thanksgiving time approaches, I thought it would be poignant for my annual "Thanksgiving Thought" "What?" you say, "This is the first thanksgiving you've had a blog...wait...you've only had the blog for a few weeks...there's no annual anything...I hate you..." Well, to those I say...so?
Anywho, as with most of my entries recently, this one derives from my preschool experience. We have been teaching the little ones about the first thanksgiving, complete with the stories of the fun, hilarity, and all around mirth in abundance (oh and believe me...there was mirth...lots of mirth...). Such conversations as this abounded:
Me: What did they have at the first thanksgiving?
Kid A: Turkey
Kid B: Pumpkin Pie
Kid C: My dog
Kid D: Poop on me!!
Me: No! Stop it!
And so went the discussions.
However, this made me think. I began to look at what we teach young children and what we leave out.
In: Friends with Indians, party for thanksgiving, everyone loves everyone
Out: Half the original pilgrims dead, pitiful first year harvest, Plans for smallpox blankets...use double stitch...they'll never know...
In our society there is an arbitrary age that determines the line between the truth and the "story". Only when we gain in years are we allowed to know the ins and outs of what really happened. "Of course" you say, "Do we really want to explain dying of diptheria to a four year old?" And to that I say...yes...they have to learn sometime... No, I agree, but maybe that age should be younger than we think now. And maybe we should be more brutal across the board. Now before you pull out your stones, go with me for a second.
It seems to me that compassion, temperance, and wisdom are not so much traits that are acquired in joy and happiness, but rather in pain and sadness. To see the folly of our behaviors seems the only way to correct them and prevent their reoccurrence. Therefore, shouldn't we begin to tell the "entire" story to our children as early as possible? Shouldn't we give them as much of an untainted view of their world as possible? And, specifically, in a world that criticizes America for extreme ethocentrism and arrogance, what might the next generation of Americans be like if our whole bloody and often horrific history of our blunders and mistakes was as touted as our triumphs and glories? Might we not then have a generation of people who, although knowing and believing in the wonderful country that is America, also see that we are extremely fallible and operate more carefully and wisely in regards to matters foreign and at home?
In this last election, it seemed that "morality" was the major vote splitter, and this "morality" was, for all intents and purposes, the morality of Christianity. Now, being a Christian and one who agrees with most of these tenents, I still have to look at history and see that Christians were also in favor of slavery, the Crusades, and many other atrocities perpetrated by God-fearing, God-seeking men. I don't believe (before I get lots of angry letters...if anyone really reads this...which they probably don't...weeping...) nor am I comparing a Pro-life stance with a Pro-slavery stance (I mean...who's not for slavery...), I am merely saying that "morality" should be tempered by history. Only through knowledge of events and, most importantly, the meaning behind those events, can we truly make unequivicable (I probably spelled that wrong) decisions about the real truth.
Ok, soap box put away...
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Anywho, as with most of my entries recently, this one derives from my preschool experience. We have been teaching the little ones about the first thanksgiving, complete with the stories of the fun, hilarity, and all around mirth in abundance (oh and believe me...there was mirth...lots of mirth...). Such conversations as this abounded:
Me: What did they have at the first thanksgiving?
Kid A: Turkey
Kid B: Pumpkin Pie
Kid C: My dog
Kid D: Poop on me!!
Me: No! Stop it!
And so went the discussions.
However, this made me think. I began to look at what we teach young children and what we leave out.
In: Friends with Indians, party for thanksgiving, everyone loves everyone
Out: Half the original pilgrims dead, pitiful first year harvest, Plans for smallpox blankets...use double stitch...they'll never know...
In our society there is an arbitrary age that determines the line between the truth and the "story". Only when we gain in years are we allowed to know the ins and outs of what really happened. "Of course" you say, "Do we really want to explain dying of diptheria to a four year old?" And to that I say...yes...they have to learn sometime... No, I agree, but maybe that age should be younger than we think now. And maybe we should be more brutal across the board. Now before you pull out your stones, go with me for a second.
It seems to me that compassion, temperance, and wisdom are not so much traits that are acquired in joy and happiness, but rather in pain and sadness. To see the folly of our behaviors seems the only way to correct them and prevent their reoccurrence. Therefore, shouldn't we begin to tell the "entire" story to our children as early as possible? Shouldn't we give them as much of an untainted view of their world as possible? And, specifically, in a world that criticizes America for extreme ethocentrism and arrogance, what might the next generation of Americans be like if our whole bloody and often horrific history of our blunders and mistakes was as touted as our triumphs and glories? Might we not then have a generation of people who, although knowing and believing in the wonderful country that is America, also see that we are extremely fallible and operate more carefully and wisely in regards to matters foreign and at home?
In this last election, it seemed that "morality" was the major vote splitter, and this "morality" was, for all intents and purposes, the morality of Christianity. Now, being a Christian and one who agrees with most of these tenents, I still have to look at history and see that Christians were also in favor of slavery, the Crusades, and many other atrocities perpetrated by God-fearing, God-seeking men. I don't believe (before I get lots of angry letters...if anyone really reads this...which they probably don't...weeping...) nor am I comparing a Pro-life stance with a Pro-slavery stance (I mean...who's not for slavery...), I am merely saying that "morality" should be tempered by history. Only through knowledge of events and, most importantly, the meaning behind those events, can we truly make unequivicable (I probably spelled that wrong) decisions about the real truth.
Ok, soap box put away...
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
# posted by Christopher @ 6:34 AM 
