Sunday Musings – August 25, 2024
I was never a fan of censorship. This includes the current surge in the effort to ban certain books in schools and public libraries. While I worry about attempts to spread misinformation, I worry even more about not trusting children and teachers to select material children and adults are ready to read and evaluate om their own. I also worry about the move to pretend as if racism has not been a part of our history or acting as if withholding information about gender and sexuality will add to the health of students. My experience is children read or explore what they are ready to learn. Anyone who has raised or taught children know they will let one know when one attempts to give them information than they are not ready to learn. If, however, one deliberately limits access to the reality of history, science, or other subject areas one is merely brainwashing which is disrespectful and dangerous.
If I am going to talk about disrespect it is incumbent on me to attempt to articulate a definition other of respect.
What might be considered respect by many of us? Perhaps the readier of this blog might agree that to have respect for another person, animal or another part of our environment is to honor the fact we live in an interdependent world or universe. That is to suggest that every action or inaction affects the entire universe (s). If that is the case than one must agree that to treat someone or something with disrespect is to act as if one can ignore its importance or the fact that they or it is a gift for which to be grateful. Many so-called primitive groups of people give some of what they are about to eat or drink back to the earth as a symbol of gratitude as a symbol that one must feed and water the earth if it is to continue to feed one. Thus, whether taking about plants or animals which may be the source of nourishment, one should gratefully take only what one needs. One can, of course, debate whether it is moral to kill animals for our human consumption. One might decide it is immoral to kill an animal for food or one might argue that how one treats the living animal prior to killing is moral or immoral. Whatever one decides about that issue respect demands that we treat all of creation as important. One might then agree cannot pretend how one treats another person, the earth itself or animals will not long ter, affect all. We can, perhaps, forgive humans for making past decisions based on lack of the tools of science or knowledge, but once we have knowledge of we must take responsibility for our actions.
One might suggest that to treat another person, animal or plant with respect is to act in self-interest. If, in fact all is interdependent then the negative or abusive treatment of another person, plant or animal affects the entire universe which must then come back to negatively affect the one who originated the negative act. That seems to be to be axiomatic.
Almost all of us have access to the effect of climate change, to the reality that gender is not, for many, as clear and fixed as we once believed, race and nationality does not determine intelligence or worth, sexual orientation does not determine parenting skills, there is no shortage of sperm for most, sexuality is fluid in most of nature, there is no justification for lethal killing of others, events do not happen in a vacuum; treating other people or countries as if they exist only for one’s immediate gratification , focusing on the spec in the eye of the neighbor instead of the log in one’s own, and ignoring the limits of resources has dire long term consequences. Pretending otherwise to children or adults serves no one; is respectful, unkind, cannot be justified.
Respect should not be a political or religious issue. Respect is essential to the future of this planet; to the opportunity for all of nature, including we humans of all ages, to thrive.
Written August 25, 2024
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
I was never a fan of censorship. This includes the current surge in the effort to ban certain books in schools and public libraries. While I worry about attempts to spread misinformation, I worry even more about not trusting children and teachers to select material children and adults are ready to read and evaluate om their own. I also worry about the move to pretend as if racism has not been a part of our history or acting as if withholding information about gender and sexuality will add to the health of students. My experience is children read or explore what they are ready to learn. Anyone who has raised or taught children know they will let one know when one attempts to give them information than they are not ready to learn. If, however, one deliberately limits access to the reality of history, science, or other subject areas one is merely brainwashing which is disrespectful and dangerous.
If I am going to talk about disrespect it is incumbent on me to attempt to articulate a definition other of respect.
What might be considered respect by many of us? Perhaps the readier of this blog might agree that to have respect for another person, animal or another part of our environment is to honor the fact we live in an interdependent world or universe. That is to suggest that every action or inaction affects the entire universe (s). If that is the case than one must agree that to treat someone or something with disrespect is to act as if one can ignore its importance or the fact that they or it is a gift for which to be grateful. Many so-called primitive groups of people give some of what they are about to eat or drink back to the earth as a symbol of gratitude as a symbol that one must feed and water the earth if it is to continue to feed one. Thus, whether taking about plants or animals which may be the source of nourishment, one should gratefully take only what one needs. One can, of course, debate whether it is moral to kill animals for our human consumption. One might decide it is immoral to kill an animal for food or one might argue that how one treats the living animal prior to killing is moral or immoral. Whatever one decides about that issue respect demands that we treat all of creation as important. One might then agree cannot pretend how one treats another person, the earth itself or animals will not long ter, affect all. We can, perhaps, forgive humans for making past decisions based on lack of the tools of science or knowledge, but once we have knowledge of we must take responsibility for our actions.
One might suggest that to treat another person, animal or plant with respect is to act in self-interest. If, in fact all is interdependent then the negative or abusive treatment of another person, plant or animal affects the entire universe which must then come back to negatively affect the one who originated the negative act. That seems to be to be axiomatic.
Almost all of us have access to the effect of climate change, to the reality that gender is not, for many, as clear and fixed as we once believed, race and nationality does not determine intelligence or worth, sexual orientation does not determine parenting skills, there is no shortage of sperm for most, sexuality is fluid in most of nature, there is no justification for lethal killing of others, events do not happen in a vacuum; treating other people or countries as if they exist only for one’s immediate gratification , focusing on the spec in the eye of the neighbor instead of the log in one’s own, and ignoring the limits of resources has dire long term consequences. Pretending otherwise to children or adults serves no one; is respectful, unkind, cannot be justified.
Respect should not be a political or religious issue. Respect is essential to the future of this planet; to the opportunity for all of nature, including we humans of all ages, to thrive.
Written August 25, 2024
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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