Bird Droppings September 6, 2012

Is our world one of paradox and confusion?

 

“What can we surmise about the likelihood of someone’s being caring and generous, loving and helpful, just from knowing that they are a believer? Virtually nothing, say psychologists, sociologists, and others who have studied that question for decades.” Alfie Kohn

 

            Yesterday in my co-teaching class we were discussing what was the first thing you ever were afraid of? The idea actually tied in with the short story, The Birds and one or two of Edgar Allan Poe’s that were in the lesson. One little girl very calmly said her first great fear was in church. The pastor was yelling about going to hell if you did not believe. I recall a meeting while in seminary so many years ago while doing an internship at Central State Hospital in Milledgeville Georgia. At that time Central State was one of the largest mental hospitals in the country. Having worked with severe and profoundly disabled children and adults and having been a liaison between our camp program and the State Hospital in Pennsylvania one summer I had been in various differing wards several times.  

            One of my associates in my seminary discussion group was literally in tears that he could not save the souls of so many children. I was curious fortunately I was younger and l was less experienced or I would have called him a fool. He had been in a ward of severely brain injured and in some cases brain less children. Most were kept alive through tubes and ventilators at the request of parents. Some were twenty years and older and looked much like infants as they lay in clear plastic tubs. Each had a series of wires and tubes keeping them alive and they were turned every so often to prevent bed sores and bathed and diapers changed. My group member seeing these children was taken back and in his mind since they could not ever accept his believe they were doomed to hell. Over the years I have thought back to that scene so many times. Not once were the nurses and doctors who cared for these children mentioned. I Pondered searching my heart as to how difficult is it must have been to work in a ward such as that one?

            I hear the news each day of churches wanting to burn the Quran or churches protesting gay rights and picketing military funerals. In all honestly I see a great bastardization of what the faith that they proclaim had started as so many years ago. Somewhere along the line religion has a way of like so many things simply becoming a business.

“These deplorable acts of violence, in fact, cannot be counteracted by an outrageous and grave gesture against a book considered sacred by a religious community. Each religion, with its respective sacred books, places of worship and symbols, has the right to respect and protection.” Vatican News Release

Historically the church took over during the middle ages controlling the written word and most of the civilized world. Wars were fought in various religions name and fortunes made as the wars raged. Sort of sounds familiar. It took some rather intelligent folks to put religion in its place as the constitution was framed. A total separation of church and state became law. There are days I wish there could be a separation of education and state and get religiously oriented politicians out of educational doctrine. Sadly I think the issue runs far deeper as I look again at Alfie Kohn. In his writing Kohn addresses parents and teachers and stresses that it is not about the rewards that we seem to often provide as a means of getting children to do what we want.

“You have to give them unconditional love. They need to know that even if they screw up, you love them. You don’t want them to grow up and resent you or, even worse, parent the way you parented them.” Alfie Kohn

 

            It has been a few years since I wrote about unconditional trust. Very people ever get to that point in their lives. Most people can only talk about it but as I read Alfie Kohn’s note we do not want them to grow to teach like how they have been taught. So I am sitting here ending a day battling a new cold that according to kids in my one of my classes is bubonic plague please keep all in harm’s way on your mind and in your hearts and always give thanks namaste.

 

Wa de (Skee)

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