Thursday, October 29, 2009

Love and Understanding

I just got done watching Schindler's List and I want to run to Ella's school, pull her out and just hug her.

The horrors of what happened during the Holocaust is not new information to me, but everytime I see anything of what happened - movies, print, pictures - I'm just horrified. It's not just the Holocaust, it's racism (against ~any~ race), treatment of native americans, everything. My heart just hurts there were (and still are) people in this world who can hate a person based on their race or hell, anything at all. There is still so much hatred in the world and my heart weighs so heavy at times.

I hear ~a lot~ that people can't stand to bring babies into such a world. But what I think, is we need to bring MORE babies into this world (I know my audience, I know we're all trying!) and raise them to be better people. The more children we raise with love and understanding, the smaller the percentage of people raised with hate in their veins.

12 comments:

Kristin said...

"The more children we raise with love and understanding, the smaller the percentage of people raised with hate in their veins. "...Amen and preach it!

Jenera said...

I think all the time how I am going to have to work double hard to raise my kids to be good people and I think how it will twice as hard with the influences of society working against me. We can turn things around with our kids' generation if we want to.

Jennifer said...

I totally agree! I'd like to think our society has grown from the past, but there is still so much hatred

We definitely need good families to have more babies. I teach at a low income school and many times it's those that are worse off (financially, educationally, etc, etc) that keep having more children. The ones that are smarter and better parents (in general) seem to have fewer children. The school population is changing and the kids are coming with lots of home issues.

I've been told the movie "Idiocracy" is kind of what is happening. I've never seen it though.

Robin said...

Ever since I have become a mom my feelings on so many issues have changed.

I can't even watch the news anymore for fear of seeing something about that little girl that was found in a landfill two days after she was abducting walking home from school. That was even in my stupid state. It just makes my stomach heave.

Elana Kahn said...

Of course the Holocaust hits close to home for me, seeing as one of Hitler's main aims was to completely eliminate all Jews from the planet. Luckily, even though he killed 6 million Jews (yep, 6 million), he didn't get all of us. :-) And we're fighting to replenish those numbers every day. Why do you think Orthodox Jews don't use birth control? :-D

mommybird said...

I totally agree! I have a hard time seeing things like that too. I usually avoid it because I get so down about it. I don't understand so much anger and hatred over someone you don't even know that you could wish that they just ceased to exist.

Kate said...

schindler's list is an amazing film. it makes my heart both break & soar everytime i watch it.

& in response to your post on your other blog, assuming we bring this 3rd baby into the world safely, this too will be our last, & that makes me very sad. we had always agreed 3 was our limit, & now that that limit is fast approaching, i SO don't feel ready to be "done". N is fully planning on a vasectomy after #3, so i need to get my head around the idea, but i'm struggling. so ((hugs)) for you... i sympathize.

Sarah said...

I haven't seen that movie in a long time, but it all gets to me. I get so emotional, imagining being a mother walking into the concentration camp and having my baby ripped from my arms. It is so horrible...

Kaci said...

I've never seen Schindler's List, but recently watched Sophie's Choice and OMG the way it made me feel...

A good friend of mine wanted a dozen children because she thought good people needed to reproduce to offset the bad people who were. I think it's a good theory.

Mareike said...

I think a lot of the hate in the world stems from desperation and the disparity in wealth and opportunity. More children raised with love and understanding is a laudable goal but they should also be raised to want to share what they have with the less fortunate.

We seem to have a culture in which we value the "stuff" that surrounds us. Anyone reading this already has more than he/she needs.

I'm not suggesting that I am not among those who have more than they need (I'm sitting at my laptop with high speed internet,)

The Holocaust is one horrible example of what human beings are capable of doing to other human beings. I've asked myself a gazillion times if I had been a citizen of Germany at that time would I have worked to protect those who were being persecuted or would I have closed my eyes to what was happening to protect myself and my family. I'd like to think I would have risked the sacrifice but I truly don't know.

Jamie said...

I like how you think - bring more children into this world and raise them with love and understanding.

Anytime I watch something like Schindler's List I always think to myself, "I just don't understand." And I don't.

jenn said...

I haven't watched that movie as a mother yet- it made me sob every time I watched it before we even started trying.

On bringing more babies into the world raised with love to be good people- here, here! My neighborhood has ~a lot~ of prejudice, racism & hate in it. People who are scared of what they don't know or understand & children that have this hate thrust upon them their whole lives. I have always known I don't want my children raised like that- but now I know I want her to be able to speak out and stand up. The more children we raise to not tolerate these behaviors (beyond just not believing in or subscribing to them) the faster we can make them completely unacceptable & hopefully eliminate them.
One thing that gives me hope is how the attitude of children towards homosexuality seems to be changing in just one generation. I can remember the few gay friends in high school being terrified to come out for fear of persecution- now i see my 15 year old goddaughter & her friends being so much more accepting & non-judgmental. Even if it is in that one aspect it gives me hope that one generation really can change the world- it's up to us as parents to teach our children the values we want the world to reflect in 20 years.