"Sadly, the gift of disobedience is clearly seen in the children. I don't know where they get it! Lying was never taught to them."
It highlighted, very clearly for me, just how unaware 'we' are of our own behaviour.
While a child might not learn to lie from the environment in which it is raised, the ability to deceive could be seen as a genetically encoded survival mechanism, it will learn the advantages and disadvantages of doing so.
Tooth Fairy, Father Christmas, The Bogeyman, a hundred and one other myths, legends and fairy tales are displayed to the child (I realise that's a description for European descendant childhood but similar rites & phantoms likely apply in all social structures)
These fables are employed to educate the child in 'our' social ways, customs, ethics, morality etc. All very inclusive and laudable on the surface.
I wonder though, does it actually do society harm to employ these fables?
As the child uncovers the truth about each of these fake characters it comes, via subconscious or conscious route, to the solid fact that ALL the adults who kept the 'secret' were actually lying.
And, from the child's point of view these lies are for no good reason other than the adults own ends; to entertain themselves, discipline or educate the child, for the parent to 'get their own way all the time' or, more dramatically, the free will of the child is suspended by the dictator adult.
I know that sounds childish but it's how the child perceives the lies that's pertinent.
Regardless of what the child is told about the ethics or immorality of lying the child learns, by example, that it is advantageous to lie; that one lies to direct the thoughts and actions of others to one's own benefit.
If the child also has the misfortune to be brought up in a religious household they will also, alas, suffer under the largest lie of all, god. Don't get all bristly, religious folks, all I'm saying is this...
No matter what one chooses to believe or where one stands on atheism the following statement is true
is indistinguishable from a lie
If one teaches a child about a god as if it's the truth but that entity, the god, is the very epitome of unmeasurable, how can the child, or anyone, distinguish it from a lie?
How can anyone trust someone who promotes such an unmeasurable truth?
How can any rational person be in favour of the followers of an unmeasurable truth wielding, on unmeasurable authority, the power to punish, torture or slaughter any individual who disagrees with that unmeasurable truth?
Shouldn't the United Nations, the Court of Human Rights or whomever may be concerned, be working toward an end of all 'law' which is drawn up under an unmeasurable authority?
Finally it occurs...
Is it any wonder that so many young grow through adolescence with the Peter Pan ethos, 'you cannot trust an adult'?
And, if we acknowledge that they do, why do we persist with these exercises in breaking our children's trust in adults?
Is it merely because we are too primitive to notice the consequences of our poor education methods?
If so, surely we must now be smart enough pass on our essential values without all the magical claptrap?
PEACE
Crispy
Crispy
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The best communications are often,
THREE WORDS OR LESS
OR ONE OR MORE FINGERS!
The best communications are often,
THREE WORDS OR LESS
OR ONE OR MORE FINGERS!