Innocence
Once lost is gone forever.
We live in a completely hedonic culture. This is the ultimate goal and, in time, eventual attainment of first world countries. We seek to eliminate any fear of want and then focus our energies on having fun. This, at first seems equivalent to attaining happiness but, over time, reveals itself to be the spiritual equivalent of a cotton candy binge. So much of life’s time and energy seem to be focused on striving for security and significance through the acquisition of vaporous stuff.
As cultures transition from a focus on survival to one where we are seeking to shorten the work week to as few hours as possible, entertainment as a life priority expands to fill the void.
And as part of entertainment people begin to lose themselves in addictions. These can be drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, gossip, envy, hobbies, sports, politics, anything that grips our minds and will not let us go.
Now let’s think about children.
Every child is born in innocence.
What does our culture think about this?
It doesn’t seem to like it as far as I can tell. Innocent children are a burden because they cramp lifestyles. They get in the way. They destroy the fun. Sure mothers and fathers and some siblings might love these little ones, but not much of the rest of our society, I’m afraid. There is an exception to this, a big one, but let’s go there another time.
Our post modern culture currently fragmented into grievance-cliques seeks to remove innocence in order to claim victimhood and blame oppressors. This has been taken into nursery and elementary schools where children are being told things about sex and race that in past generations were kept from them until they were much older — in some cases, until adulthood.
Why?
Let me put it this way. There is something about the innocence of a child that destroys the selfishness of hedonism, living solely for self-pleasure.
In a way, the innocent infant, the young child, the mentally and physically severely disabled, the infirm, and elderly, who are constantly accused of wasting precious resources, have a critical and profound role to play in society. They are The Guardians of our Humanity. We diminish or destroy them at our own peril to remaining human.
How I behave toward the least of these reveals with high precision the quality of my soul and life.
If you watch this video, have tissues nearby. It beautifully makes my point.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
Precious. Two tissue story.