...and for the parents out there, sorry for putting the song in your head...
Saturday night, as we drove home from a family night out to dinner, The Boy asked a question about "those idiots who flew the planes into the buildings in New York." Apparently they were singing "This Land Is Your Land" in music class, and their music teacher commented on the 9/11 attacks as part of "to the New York islands." I don't know the exact circumstances (getting correct information out of a tired second-grader isn't the easiest of chores), so I won't comment on whether it was appropriate or not.
So The Boy started asking questions about 9/11. Why did it happen? Why do they hate us? Why do they want to kill us? And it just tore me up inside that I had to explain the concept of radical fundamentalism to my son, especially after so recently bringing him to church. It's hard to boil down the nutjob perversion that is radical Islam to a form understandable to a seven year old; it's even harder to bring in the religious aspect.
How the hell do you tell a kid that there are people out there who want to kill us simply because we follow a different religion? I tried to present the basic concept that they had different beliefs than we do, and that while ours revolve around doing good to help people, theirs revolve around hatred, intolerance, and rewards for those who kill people who don't belong to that religion. It was made doubly hard in that he's just starting to learn about his own religion - we haven't even scratched the surface of the different religions found around the world. Hell, how many different branches of Christianity are there?
What's really hard is not having a good answer for my son's "Why, Daddy?"
And I hate that these barbarians make this conversation necessary. I hate that I have to explain the concept of hijacking a plane; dying for a cause; the raw, unadulterated hatred that drives a man to give his own life solely for the purpose of killing others for his cause. I have to tread lightly, lest the anger and violence I feel towards these subhumans influence my responses. I stressed the heroism of the people who resisted on Flight 93 and how they saved the lives of countless hundreds or thousands on the ground by fighting back (always take the opportunity to plug the concept of fighting back!).
I don't want to explain mass murder or wild-eyed fanaticism to my children. But even more than that, I don't want them to fall victim to it as random victims of the violence it spawns. I tried to reassure him that we wouldn't encounter anything like this on a plane (we're hoping to do Disneyworld next year), that people wouldn't let it happen a second time. But looking at the sheep around us, people blithely sleepwalking through life in Condition Translucent (worse than white), I don't know if that's necessarily true.
What I do know is that I will be dead before harm comes to my children, and whoever attempts that harm will either be dead as well or missing a few key pieces at the least.
That is all.
6 comments:
How the hell do you tell a kid that there are people out there who want to kill us simply because we follow a different religion?
I wouldn't. I'd present it the way I see it: some people in this world are just plain evil, and do things that are just plain evil. The reason they give for doing it doesn't matter at all.
I hate that I have to explain the concept of hijacking a plane; dying for a cause; the raw, unadulterated hatred that drives a man to give his own life solely for the purpose of killing others for his cause.
You could always take the route of a mainstream reporter: It's our fault & we should give them more.
"How the hell do you tell a kid that there are people out there who want to kill us simply because we follow a different religion?"
Considering that more muslims are probably killed by other muslims than any other group. I am not sure I'd even say the "different religion" is the reason.
I always refer to it as "dogma", that aspect of when someone's beliefs are so dogmatic that they are willing to kill others (regardless of whether it is over religious causes, political causes even the environment).
Granted, it sucks having to explain that to a child.
***
The reason I like focusing on dogmatic belief is because a) christianity has some brutal incidents in it's past b) implementations of socialism/communism beliefs have killed millions. So it's clearly not just religion.
I express it this way, every day, every person has the choice to act in a noble fashion or to act in an ignoble fashion. Regardless of what you believe, you should always endeavor to act nobly.
Jay,
Try looking at this through my eyes . . . The other day my progeny ask me, "Dad, who is this Hitler guy?" How do I explain The Holocaust to an 8 year old?
I'll let you know when I come up with an answer.
One "advantage" I had in explaining such things to my children is that every one of their own g-g-g-grandparents were driven out of their country, in the middle of winter, virtually at gunpoint, leaving almost all of their possessions behind to be looted by those forcing them out.
All because of their religion.
And this took place in the USA.
Not sure if kids Boy G's age understand the concept of jealousy.
The 9-11 actors hate us (modern world) because of what we have, simplisticly put, freedom. We can move freely, watch TV, video games, things kids understand.
Leaving the broad economic situations of all these groups aside, they want what other people have. However, they don't want to acheive it by inspiration, rather they choose to drag the haves down to their level by insurrection.
It's easier to hate others for what you don't have than it is to blame your own shortcomings. $Diety is just one excuse that charismatic "leaders" use to manipulate a mob into doing their bidding. Look at the Justice Brothers, the Prop 8 mobs, or the President elect.
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