I recently read a fascinating article in which a tribe of little known pygmies, called the Tehrone, has decided to go extinct of their own volition. In their words, "Because our babies are born not good."
Later that same week, I came across this picture:
At which point does the rate of multiplication upon the earth become to much for the earth to bear? The Tehrone didn't have much of a choice: their children died most of the time, and the ones that lived--well, they weren't good. And not in the way most people in this country view not good. As in, not that we are sinful creatures in need of a savior, but in that, our babies aren't right. Genetically unstable. From the article:
Willingly going extinct. Knowing that you may be the last of your people, your tribe...
Mr. RABINOWITZ: First of all, they had huge goiters. One of them is clearly very retarded.
KRULWICH: But most of all, there were only five of them. Because you were expecting to see 50 people or 60 people?
Mr. RABINOWITZ: I was expecting to see an entire village of them, because that village originally in the '60s had been all Tehrone.
KRULWICH: But then it was explained that these people before him were the last intact pygmy family in the valley.
Mr. RABINOWITZ: They were the last full family of Tehrone left.
KRULWICH: And who knows, maybe they were the last full family of Tehrone in the world.
Are children really a blessing when you take them so much for granted that you can pop out fourteen of them? It doesn't even take a thought, does it?
Yeah, I wonder if they feel special, knowing they never get any individual attention. I only had four siblings, and I can only imagine the cacophony that fourteen would make!
Woman: Here, honey, put your tab into my slot.
Man: Do what, you Jezebel?
Woman: Well, I don't know what it's called! We never had Sex Ed., remember?
Man: Well, whatever it's called...
Woman: Listen, it's that time, okay? The youngest is now three months old!
Man: Okay. Time to make another blessing...
Woman: Well, if it happens, it happens.
Man: But sex is only meant for making babies! That's why we need to stop the gays! We have to keep what we can do special.
Woman: (Sigh.) Then, yes, it's because we're trying to make another baby, okay? Geez, why can't we just have sex?
Man: Oh, we can, just don't tell the gays...
The other side of the fence--how many of us don't have children because we think we'll be bad at it--we'll fail them miserably?
Mr. RABINOWITZ: Dowi's sadness, his answer sort of just threw me back on my feet so much that I just started talking to him. I just started saying, well, you know, I don't have any children either.
KRULWICH: And that was a choice, he said. I chose not to.
Mr. RABINOWITZ: I was unhappy, I told him, and sad with a lot of parts of my life and that my woman wanted a baby, and I didn't know if I should have a baby because I didn't think I was good enough to have a baby.
Not that everyone wants kids--I'm not saying everyone should! In fact, I could make a list hundreds of names long of people who shouldn't have children, but that, too, is for another time.
And our society (mostly due to right-wing influence) has become so enamored with the children that now--now everything must be so pure, so clean just in case there's a child around. A child might hear. A child might see. Darkmind posted on this a little while ago, hitting the nail on the head, I think, in many areas of his thinking... But, being as he's having kind of a rough patch right now (we all have them...), he deleted it, so I am unable to share it with you... But he touched on a lot of points in which our culture has elevated children to god-like status, where everything--everything--must be with kids in mind. Will they see it? Will they ask what that is? What will they think of that? Will this give them a naughty idea? And he asks, What in the hell ever happened to adult time? Adult thing to do? Cause he's right--it's become all about the children, and mostly not for anyone's benefit except the child worshippers.
I want a child--more than almost anything else in life. And although I am unwilling to find a chick, chain her up in a storage shed and stick her on an IV drip (one of Darkie's more nefarious ideas that made me LOL), the desire to have a child and the desire to live life are two separate things that have somehow merged into a cult. Live life for the kids. Kids are no longer a by-product in society--they are the sole reason for society, a very dangerous--even sick--world view.
How are children to learn if they are never exposed to anything? How are kids supposed to know how to deal with life if they are kept shielded from everything? Protected form everything?
I remember when I hit seventh grade--CULTURE SHOCK! I had spent the first 12 years of my life in church. Church, and the private school the church ran. Everything was spoon-fed, nothing bad was spoken about, hinted at. Sure, we learned about how lying was bad, stealing was bad, but mostly we heard about the evil, evil world which surrounded us.
And then my parents dropped me willy-nilly into that world--the year I turned 13, of all ages! People wore T-shirts to school! Jeans! They listened to--dare I say?--rock music! It took many, many months before I even spoke to another kid at school, let alone "participated in class." I was terrified! And to think--and I can say this now--I was one of the lucky few to escape the hold of religion through pure chance!! I was in a worldly, social environment long before the brain washing had time to set. No rinse and repeat for me! I can only imagine what a full-fledged "adult" would feel after spending eighteen years in such an environment! No wonder so many of them become pastors and housewives!! "Escape! Escape! The world is coming! The world is coming!"
The disservice to the children of this nation is astronomical, both in the church and without... The world isn't exactly a gold-standard bearer when it comes to their kids either.
But at least children from the world can deal with the world--not always well, and not always with the right mind-set or decision-making skills... But better prepared than the cult-kids of Christ...
Children--a curse, a blessing, an inconvenience, and a god...
KRULWICH: And then when Dowi looked at the picture--
Mr. RABINOWITZ: He just threw back his head and laughed. And this time it wasn't, you know, a laugh of thinking you're an idiot. This time it was a laugh of--I felt it was a laugh of pride. There was pride there and true happiness that I was getting to do it even if he couldn't.
KRULWICH: That was three years ago. Today, Alan Rabinowitz has a young daughter, as well as a son. But Dowi, he understands, has lost his mother and lost a sister, and is now almost the very last Tehrone in the valley.
Bless the children indeed...
1 comment:
hello jason! after looking at all those kids i am reminded how after i watched the OLD version of 'Cheaper By The Dozen' and wanted 12 kids. :) after helping my mother with some of her babysitting jobs while my one brother was in the hospital i remember telling her i did not want any kids! i got married and had you 5. i guess i didn't mean it. :) sometimes like the past week or so i wish i didn't have any. the heartbreaks are most horrible when you have kids that go through things that you wish you could fix and can't and above all don't understand why! i look at my fish in my fish tank and wish i was one of them since i heard they only have a short memory. i do know if you wait a short time i will be happy that i had you all and had a love/hate time with you all at every age. grandchildren are by far the most fun since all you have to do is love them and not have to deal with the appointments, school, etc. with them. at least you hope you don't. i like to tease them and than send them home. :) i know that dad and i tried doing the best we could do with Gods help and now have 5 best friends. i sometimes wonder how i would of dealt with 12 and with my being very organized i probably could of pulled it off but i would have more heartaches to deal with and that is the part i hate so God saw fit to have me stop with the 5 healthy good kids i have and very thankful for each and everyone and know that the heartaches are teaching tools at least for this parent and will get through it just like i did before with some other heartaches. at this point i would appreciate prayer from some of the God fearing believers that might read this for some things that i am going through. (really the whole family) thank you jason for saying i could ask for some prayer on your blog site. i almost didn't ask but i still am feeling very sad and needed to be lifted up in prayer. this will time will pass and will be stronger for it all and God will show His glory through it all. love and prayers
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