OCR Text |
Show HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS 'Outlook' views history By Erma Jean Lee "To say that a man is made up of certain chemical elements is a satisfactory description only for those who intend to use him as fertilizer." Herbert J. Muller, Peter's Quotations. "Outlook" is published by the U.S.U. Office of University Relations, Logan, Utah. The June-July 1980 issue is the first I've received. Several articles and ideas presented challenges to the palate of my mind. One such-very well written-is "Cuddle or clobber? Society's smallest members can get both." Some say that mankind hasn't progressed much-and in many ways it hasn't-but after reading this article, I think we're beginning to touch a humane streak that will make us more 'human' than we've ever been before. "Outlook" grants permission to reprint, so here's a brief view of history as you may not have heard it to be: "Across the ages as mankind was creating the Sistine Chapel, the Taj Majal, such heady thoughts as liberty and democracy, and all the other trappings we call civilized society, he was collectively abusing the hell out of children. Consider for example that in 1646 Massachusetts used the death penalty for unruly children. During the industrial in-dustrial revolution children, some as young as five, comprised a large part of the work force. For the ones who thought they'd rather be swimming or rolling a hoop down the path, chains were used to keep them at their work stations. Even such thoughtful people as Plato and Aristotle considered it wise to kill defective children. Roman fathers had rights by law to sell, abandon, kill or offer for sacrifice all their children. In the United States the first use of the law to protect a child was used by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Aminals to remove a nine-year-old girl from her foster mother. This took place in 1874. Child abuse is nothing new. What is new is the awareness of it and the search for ways to end it." More. ..Nielsen says: "...many people do not learn how to cope with problems and vent their frustration physically." Conclusion, quote by Don Kline: "We do not have a systematic method of teaching people appropriate parenthood. paren-thood. We have to go through many learning experiences before we can be licensed to drive or hunt. Proper dog training even requires education. Should we demand less for raising children?" (What do you think?) It's hard to believe all those things took place and did not get changed until someone dared to speak out, or try to find a better way of dealing with children. Today, we are trying to find better means of helping awareness in spouse abuse, parent abuse, and even the misuse and killing of animal life. How- often human nature looks at freedom as someone's right to disbelieve, to sin, to commit crime or to hurt loved ones or neighbors--in many cases at the expense of 'finding one's self.' We forget that freedom can be responsible, moral, active, working, as well as creative, caring and filled with goal ideas for moral and mental integrity in-tegrity that can revitalize the society of which we are apart. Without freedom, the old beliefs of human sacrifice would still exist; we would be forced to accept still the vision of a God who punishes or condemns to death those who served not his gory, inhumane needs, a god who probably watched the ancients kill or sacrifice their children. Freedom gives us insights in-sights and revelations to rebuild old ideals of human nature into humane people born to new missions in an old world. Freedom gives us the sign to cast out in favor of better human relationships the old torments of the dualities of good and evil-who have in many cases both created more evil than good. The freedom of nian is to be a better man. a better father, a better servant or employee. The freedom of woman is her ability to recognize her family as interconnected to her own being, so much so that the goal of being a good parent is just as valuable as the goal of Ix'ing an executive slave. Neither has to run off "to be me," but to open their eyes and their hearts to life around them and free others to grow alongside them. Freedom is never stagnant. This is why the awareness of child abuse spurs hifmane people into seeking its end. "You've cornea long way, baby." (But, we've a long way to go...) |