There is only one man in the world and his name is All Men. There is only one woman in the world and her name is All Women. There is only one child in the world and the child’s name is All Children.
— Carl Sandburg
We stand on the brink of undreamed exploitation of children as instruments of war, killing and worse. It is time to carefully teach the next generation to appreciate and honor those distinctions that make humans unique.
The words of composers and songwriters Rodgers and Hammerstein cannot be ignored:
You’ve got to be taught, before it’s too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate –
You’ve got to be carefully taught.
All day, every day we are making distinctions, observing ourselves and others – where we live, the food we eat, and so much more. We can’t help notice if an individual is old or young, black or white, Muslim or Christian, male or female. It is an integral part of learning and living. According to Eviator Zerubavel, “Separating entities from their surrounding is what allows us to see them in the first place. By the same token, the way we classify people determines whom we trust and whom we fear.”
To read more of Marilyn’s article, please visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilyn-mosley-gordanier/the-importance-of-ethical_b_9511974.html