I had some time between jobs the other day so I took advantage of my membership the Newseum and went for about an hour. There is a section dedicated to the Pulitzer prize winning photos from every year of the award. Most were heartwrenching, illustrating the tragedies of nature and mankind. I was struck by how many were dedicated to the atrocities that we inflict upon one another.
This one in particular took my breath away. I stood there and furiously wiped tears away while people milled around me and averted their eyes from the scene I was creating.
(photo of a lynched man in Bangkok who is being abused even further with a folding chair, as a crowd watches)
Upon closer inspection you can see why I was so upset
Children seem to lose their innocence so quickly. The older generations teach them more about hate than love, about how to hold a gun rather than a pencil. This is not a trait exclusive to foreign nations. Children are born as blank slates, only to have the nastiness of the world write on them. Some ink is permanent, some can be scrubbed away by an especially influential teacher, a family that fosters love and acceptance, or by the children themselves. Adults, we need to make the change! We can raise a better generation than our own!
"I believe the children are the future,
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside..."
2 comments:
Tragic. That is a sobering picture.
Oh my goodness.
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