In Loco
Exemplum1
Sam Aurelius Milam III
Children
watch their parents and imitate them. They don't even know that they're
doing it. They just do it. It's been that way for thousands
of generations and it probably hasn't changed at all during those generations.
It's every bit as natural and fundamental as a chick imprinting on a hen.
It's in the genes.2
In
bygone ages, children watched their parents work. It didn't matter
if a parent was hunting game, or planting crops, or preparing food, or
building shelter. Whatever it was, the parents engaged in their daily
processes of survival within the sight of their children. The children
watched and the children learned.
In
more recent times, most of the parents' work has been removed from the
sight of their children. In many cases, maybe in most cases, the
children don't observe the parents' work and probably aren't even aware
of it. Instead, if the children see the parents at all, they see
them after the parents are finished with all of their work for the day.
What the children see is the parents "unwinding", relaxing, or being entertained
in some way.
While
the parents' work is being done, the children must go to school or find
some other way to pass their time. Granted, school can provide some
benefits. At school, children can acquire a kind of knowledge, a
sort of education. Teachers can impart facts and, maybe occasionally,
beliefs. Peers can influence behavior, at least temporarily.
However, all of those people are outside of the genetic mandate to imitate.
Only the parents have that genetic mandate. As a child ages, the
mandate might fade, disappear, or transfer elsewhere. However, the
parents are the priority sources of example during early childhood for
the fundamental things that shape a child's future character.
So,
in recent times, children have grown up receiving from their parents, if
they received any example at all, examples of how to unwind, how to relax,
or how to be entertained. Should we be surprised if there has been
a tendency for children to be fat, lazy, focused on entertainment, demanding
of instant gratification, irresponsible, and uninterested in work?
The trend is to remove children from the home at ever earlier ages.
The predictable results ought not to surprise anybody.![10x5 Page Background GIF Image](../../Images/10x5_Page_Background.gif)
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The intended translation is "In
Place of an Example". I welcome a better Latin phrase from that unknown
Latin expert lurking among my readers. |
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Please note that a chick will imprint
on the first creature that it sees. The process is a genetic mandate
but it isn't limited to the chick's actual genetic mother. The same
sort of thing is true of children. Whoever they perceive as their
parents will satisfy the genetic mandate to imitate. It doesn't necessarily
have to be the genetic parents. "The hand that rocks the cradle ...." |
Letters to the Editor
Hi Sam,
Hope
all is well.
Thanks
again for continuing to express all your ideas ....
Warm
wishes,
Millie; Baltimore, Maryland
Hi
Sam! I loved the article about the bible translations. One
thing I'm puzzled about is why Christians need to believe that every word
of the Bible is inspired by God. Think about it. If you want
information about Italy, you read books about Italy. Some books may
contain misinformation but, in general, if you read enough books about
Italy, you get a pretty good idea of what Italy is like. It's the
same with any subject. So, if Christians want to know about Jesus,
I can understand them wanting to read the best, earliest sources, but why
make the claim that these writings are supernatural? It's really
an unnecessary embellishment. Of course, the historical source of
this "divine inspiration" rigmarole is political.
Speaking
of things political I certainly agree that the US government had a motive
to create the 9/11 incidents but I don't put much stock in images available
over the internet. It's just that it's too easy these days to fake
images in ways that defy easy detection. Of course, this cuts both
ways we don't know how much of the official line is fictionalized with
computer altered or generated images. From talking to middle easterners
now living in California, there are CERTAINLY plenty of people in the mid-east
who hate the US government, and who would be willing to support genuine
terrorism. I think I may have said before that the whole "War on
Terrorism" is a ridiculous cate-
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