My little status update from Facebook this morning:
I think that most folks who honor and glory in the founders of this nation and their actions, would rather just do that, and not imitate those actions. We love those stories and want to make d***n (pardon my Francais on a Sunday morning, but I’m looking for a strong word to describe how I see some people react) sure that they don’t take those stories and opportunities for costumed plays out of our schools. But would you perform some of the physical acts of rebellion that you so admire from 200 + years ago? Would you be proud to see your child involved in this? The “funny thing” is, if you look at the reality of things, we are under greater economic tyranny today than those boys were that threw that tea out of the boat. What are you willing to NOT METAPHORICALLY go throw out or blow up today as a response to economic oppression? I’d imagine nothing.
James and I read Plutarch’s Lives, and biographies of scientists, and artists, and musicians, and explorers, and statesmen, and activists, etc. etc. and our US History books, and World History books, not just so he can know these people and events for trivia, or to pass some test, or to get puffed up about being an American, but rather for him to be inspired by whatever noble characteristics (hard work, tenacity, honesty, kindness, sacrifice, etc.) and actions that he reads about and to imitate that in his own life. And the stories of the bad guys and girls are worthy to read about too — to know what is out there, what people are capable of, and what he needs to NOT admire, and what he needs to fight against, and from what he needs to run like the wind.
“The question is not,––how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education––but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?”
~Charlotte Mason
