A question in my class today was, "Why are bad people bad?" There is yet another scary story on the news these days, of a 25 year old man who went crazy stabbing people in one of the busiest shopping districts of Tokyo yesterday. Why? Most of my students agreed with me today that most people aren't bad by any freakish alignment of DNA, but that all the little bad things that happen in our life pile up on people's shoulders or in their hearts at different rates and weights, and if these aren't balanced off with enough good, then we start to tip over the dark side. To anyone out there who is reading this today, I LOVE YOU JUST FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY RAMBLINGS! So, take that in and chalk up one more good, and erase one little bad from your pile of experiences, ok? May the force be with you!
Watching the news made me think. Even though I try to keep scary stories away from Lucy as much as possible, in our home where the television is on 70% of the time (whenever Dad is home), it's impossible to keep her from hearing and seeing much of it. I am afraid she is becoming desensitized by it all. Growing up in a home where the television wasn't on so much, I wonder how she will be different than her half-sheltered mother?
The other thing I noticed, thinking of DNA, was that my daughter has definitely inherited the picky attention to detail that both her father and mother have. We were folding origami last night, and she kept wanting to start over because her corners were not at perfectly sharp as mine! I know in some ways, this gene will help her somewhere down the line, but it will probably drive a few people around her crazy too.
1 comment:
Dear Michelle,
I was so sorry to hear the tragic news about the killings. I guess it really struck me as I think of Japan as so non-violent and calm. I think your conclusion is right that experiences, especially the negative, can really have an affect on a person, and that you are right again in that we should try to balance a persons day with positive things. I know you do that, and I sense that caring already in Lucy. She gets that from you two.
The tv issue is a difficult thing. I don't have an answer for that one. I guess you do need to watch what she is watching. I think Japanese television is a little more liberal than here ????...on most channels that is. So maybe your good old dad was right when he never let you watvh MTV despite you kids complaining about it !! Ha Ha
I love how exact Lucy is in her art,etc. I also think that goes along with her analytical, mathamatical mind. Perhaps this does have to do with genes !!
Well all is well here. Weather is still very cold here...chances of snow tonight!
Take care. Love you all, MOM
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