Do we teach Our Children the Truth ? Do we teach them how to look Evil in the eye and not flinch, not walk away ? If there is a Bully on the playground do we tell our children to smile and share milk and cookies and hand over the lunch money?
Especially if the Bully is pushing smaller weaker kids around and kicking sand in their faces? Especially if the Bully is Lying about it to everyone within listening distance? And if the Bully has his own little thug gang, do we tell our children to be silent ? Do we tell them to run and hide, or do we tell them to fight back ?
You and I know the Answers to these Questions of Conscience. And we know that what we tell them and how we act and what actions we take does matter, Everyday, not just sometimes. We know that we read them "The Emperor's New Clothes" , not realizing that we were bound to live IT in front of our children. We know that one brave child spoke the Truth, but they learned to Speak Truth to Power.
The Lesson is that What We Live is What we teach Our Children.
Speak it Well and Speak it Loudly and make sure that People Hear you.
Our Children are Listening and Watching.
There are no Second Chances at the Karmic Playground.
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SPECIAL ALERT FOR THE BRAVEHEARTED:
If you haven't seen the video Called No Bravery with the Music by James Blunt-
you need to see it.
go here: http://nobravery.cf.huffingtonpost.com/
39 comments:
Okay...just to get this straight I was not a sugar&spice&everything nice little girl...3rd grade - our neighborhood Bully lived two doors up from my house- Conrad- a weasel-dick of a child , I am sure he is a Repug Troll now working at Merck, he used to pick on on most younger kids everyday walking to and from school....My mother told us to pick a new route to school, she didn't want to piss off the neighbors......( and you know that "New Route"didn't happen)...
And we weren't the only kids he hassled...Hmm, well, Someone kicked him in the mouth and he had to have a trip to the ER to get the Hole in his tongue sewn up- he bit his own damn tongue.....He couldn't call his skinny anemic neighbor names for weeks, and no one changed their routes to school. after that...Karma....
hey there! i'm so glad lizzy sent you by my site (she's a dear) because that means i found your site! i love it, love your voice and I thank you. I see you're an Aries woman too, cool.
I don't think we are all to punch every bully in the nose.
That can become addictive....and if you keep it up.....eventually you will get killed.
I think we need to encourage people to band together and stand up for what's right.....not do it for them.
We need to teach our children to choose their fights carefully and stay out of it unless someone is actually in real danger.
Less violence is always better.....unfortunately, we can sometimes be in a position where we are forced to fight.
WADENA: I totally agree that less violence and NO violence is better...What is really on my mind is that we have ELECTED officials, they are susposed to stand up for us- represent us- and yes, in a way defend us against the Bullies in DC..but I just don't see them doing that...My big question is we see this Regime get away with one travesty after another- and I don't see the Media or Elected saying what a Disgusting Injustice it is- so HOW BAD DOES IT HAVE TO GET.....
I am also worried What a Mess we are handing our children...
( my little story above was my one and only foray into kicking back and other people were getting hurt- and the adults didn't seem up to the task...or willing. ( My mother telling me to re-route...)
JENNY: Welcome I am glad that I found your blog too.
TAKE PAUSE: Also welcome- I have read you around as well. Snow is just starting here...
Hi. I'm glad to see take pause getting out and about.
I read your story as an allegory. I teach the girls not to start fights or become bullies but sometimes standing up to bullies, even with a fist seems to be the only thing that works. I hate it though.
Good post. I can't remember if I commented on the one preceding. I know I read it. It was beautiful and I really had nothing else to add.
Great picture (more of your son's work?). Another Bush-Bully comparison is the "Bante Rooster". As a child, we had a few of these in with our flock of normal-size chickens. These litle guys were the meanest bastards in the coop. Always strutting around, picking fights with the normal-size chickens who mostly just backed away & let them have whatever little shit-encrusted piece of corn they had staked out.
Once in awhile a big rooster would have had enough & really wallop the Bante, blood & feathers flying. Sad to say, the lesson did not last long. Next day, the Bante would be right back to his old bully tricks. I'm really afraid this is what we are dealing with in Bush. The way he struts around, smirking, carefully e-nun-ci-at-ing the big words, steering that podium, practically daring us all to call him out. Question is if he's knocked down, will he stay down? D.K.
with role models like we have today in the W, Rove and Co, I do believe there is a strong argument to be made for supporting folks who fight back. Bullies are like terrorists aren't they? Some one has to smack them down and put them in their place.
GRANNY: Thanks for stopping by...and yes, I too hate that we have to teach our girls and our children to fight back...but that is the way it is...
DK: I love Bante Rooster comparison- that is so so accurate...and I too don't know what will take this rooster down...
WINDSPIKE:Folks must fight back...we can't let BUSHCO win....but they have put forth a whole new art to bullying...
Hey Grover, can I bum a cigarette? Its been a long long time but you made it look cool to me again.
Now I want to say that Kung Fu teaches the hierarchy of violence? Check rather than injure, injure rather than maim, maim rather than kill etc? That violence is never preferred but that when it comes down to self defense we must use least destructive means we can?
Hang in there, all who stand beneath the snow. All who dance. All who sing. All who resolve to never become bullies.
Grover has informed me that he bought them cheap from the Indians...so he's got plenty to spare, and hey they are KOOL "lights" so they don't cause no stinkin' cancer. ( My son informed me that Grover is a moron and the gang didn't trust him with a gun...and also he pointed out that Big Bird is missing - so maybe there was already a Hunting Accident....yeah- like Lord Dick's this weekend?)
I think the important thing is that we all learn when to Stand Together and not take any more...My favorite movie is actually Witness- and the end when they confront the Corrupt Cop and they all stand together...and yeah, truth be told Harrison standing there all Amish and Honest does me a world of good.
I digressed.....thanks for coming by Lilly....
Gotta go to sleep- I believe Cherry Chertoff sits his ass in the Katrina Hot Seat tomorrow...cspanning tomorrow...
Gnite to Posse at the Enigma Cafe....
That's funny, my favorite Witness scene is when they all work together to raise the barn! D.K.
DK: 12:40 am now...couldn't sleep...saw your comment- that is one of my favorite scenes too- especially the music in that scene....wow...
So it appears that the latest on the Friendly Fire Incident down in Texas goes like this- Uncle Dick went hunting with some "lawyer friends", and " Whittington"snuck up behind him" so Trigger Happy Dick "thought" he was a "quail" and shot the poor little ol 78 year old man in the neck , face, and chest....and for 26 hours the White House Hid the little Hunting accident. Presently the ol lawyer fellow is in ICU in Corpus Christi Hospital....wish I knew some nurses down there -would love to hear the whole story...
Bullying. I was just reading a science article about bullying in mice. Turns out there's some brain chemical in the genes that controls how mice react to bullyin. Some are just born with more of it and cower, some art born with less and aren't as easily intimidated. Another genetic things, looks like.
Neil- that is interesting....so the man in the White Castle-with his little tiny mouse brain might have a chemical that is leading to our demise....
He may have a tiny brain, but he's more like KING RAT, don't you think? (I couldn't sleep either, hot flashes on a cold night). D.K.
What we are teaching our kids should be a full-time blog for someone. There is so much they are being taught from "science is wrong and the Bible is right" to "eat more sugar, it's good for you" that speaks to no truth whatsoever. The commercial and ideological world which currently rules and in which they are growing up is their enemy. The only thing that stands in its way is parents who are speaking the truth. Our daughter and son-in-law fight the battle every day to Speak the Truth to our grandson. They still feel like they are struggling up hill all the time.
I am so depressed about it all I am going to get a Coke and Oreos and turning on Jerry Springer.
Stephen, guy after my own heart. I could write all day about the other examples, and things found in the curriculum (you should see the way they teach VietNam!!!!Makes me wonder how the hell they'll teach Operation Oil Grab)
Yes, depressing.
Thats right, Big Bird IS missing.
Shrub: "Shut up Lily, We don't dissappear Muppets in America! What do I look like, Pinochet?"
We've really tried to instill in our son the notion that one should never allow one's self to be bullied. That sort of behavior only promotes fear and detachment in children. However, what worries me is that maybe one day some kid will pick a fight with him at school and Chris will get suspended for fighting back. The fact is a bully will not respect you if you siply go "tell" on him. That just perpetuates his behavior. He has to be confronted.
It's such a hard balancing act to teach children to survive and thrive in todays world. Studies show most leaders were somewhat aggresive children, so do we want to teach our kids not to be aggresive and thus religate them to be worker bees. Personally I teach mine to always look people in the eye, and not get in over their heads. If you can get away from trouble then do so, if you can't, then fight like hell. If you have to fight, then fight to win. Be the hero, not the bully. Better to die standing than on your knees. Finally, that brains solve more problems than fists.
Author John Irving advocated "Be nice twice, then be creative" in dealing with bullies. D.K.
Interesting to get the dad perspectives...
Enigma- are you snowed in??????
Lilly ( Karma's Bitch) : And yes, getting the Dad perspectives is great..no snow at the Enigma Cafe ;-(
Whelp, we can only hope that Unca Dick didn't shoot Big Bird...
DK: always always be creative
Goth:Hey Man PBS funding got cut- they are pissed...
LOC:Be the Hero...that is what it is all about....even just a little bit every day...
Stephen:Your son is lucky to have you guiding him and teaching him...
DREW: Confrontation is critical....
Watergate Summer 2,130,000, up from Sunday of 1,290,000
OH- my blog has run away from me tonight!!! It's Valentine's Day, and I am not in the mood to fight. I feel like I say the same things...it feels futile. I feel futile today, spinning my wheels, I am! What to do. I ask that every day. What to do. Where to put energy.
I fear our children may never see the bully -- only be on the receiving end of his blows years later. I'm talking about the record deficits BushCo continues to fuel. Wait until our children catch those payoffs on the chin...
And speaking of fuel, Bush's oil buds are wallowing in off-the-chart profits. And one wonders how students who had their finacial aid slashed and senior citizens who had the Medicaid strangled feel about making those tax cuts permanent.
As for Cheney's "accident," I think this week's Top 10 Conservative Idiots at Democratic Underground had the best description: "Sources close to the vice president say that just before the incident Cheney was giving off sparks and shouting 'EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! ALL HUMANS MUST DIE!' He is currently undergoing repairs."
CRUEL ANIMAL: You are so right about what our children inherit...one hell of a mess. All kinds of people are truly feeling the pain of this greedy lot. Cheney can't be repaired...he is beyond repair...reproach....( hmm, I think that maybe the" Beyond Repair" Image is something that someone very talented could create ???...oh, the shameless begging of your fans...)
Oh Lilly: Please don't feel futile...and that you are repeating your self- we all have felt like that...the GroundHog Day feeling...That feeling of urhghhhhhh ...I can't do this every single fucking day....Take a break..go play go enjoy what is left of the dirty snow...take a break..the same mess will all still be there... and sadly yes, maybe we are spinning out wheels until MORE wheels fall off this Big Bad Bus... Have Hope...the Fat Lady ain't singing yet...but she is warming up....
PT: You can come here anytime- with any attitude you want..( yeah, like I have a good attitude ? the woman who's swear jar is going to put the kid in college at this rate...) And yes, we should all be very worried about our Judicial system and what has been Done to it. and the FISA court as well...we are in trouble...and I don't know what will happen....I have no answers...and I wish I did...
I see Enigma that we were both scrappy lil girls who fought back when we were kids. I beat up a BOY bully in the 4th grade, and I earned instant respect from many of my peers. But, he asked for it and he sought it out with me repeatedly. I finally gave him what he asked for.
That's how we're raising BabyGirl to be, also. You don't look for it. You don't seek it out. But you do defend yourself when push comes to shove.
And Grover kicks ass... remember the 1 skit from Sesame Street where he dances like John Travolta in a white suit w/a wide collar with his naked blue furry feet? Smooooth like butter.
Enigma,
Yes it is like Groundhog Day. Every day, same thing! We do what we have to do I guess.
HELLO TO THE ENIGMA CAFE POSSE:
Enigma here with an apology for the ignoramus Troll that came by and left a messege for "Sonia"...I don't know who Sonia is- maybe a lover or Russian Mail order bride , or a cheap whore, that told him off or measured his incompetence. Either way he said a lot of ridiculous stuff and seemed pretty proud of himself- AOh what a big man picking on a liberal woman.... Amazes me- the VP shoots an old man in the face and it empowers these redneck dickheads....So my rule is as always- you come here and you offend me or my readers I sweep you out the door...period.
Nice post. Thanks.
Rory and the javelinas
DEAR TROLL- YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE.
Watergate Summer Bloghits= 1,490,000 today wed. Feb15th, 2006....up ....( my blog still #2)
A thought: ALL of us have to cope with what this Regime has done to this country, Our Country. If we choose to be Angry and Fight Back- that is OUR RIGHT. None of us need small minded people take away that Right. in 1770's the First Americans- the Real Americans- the Real Patriots fought back, they had newspapers, and underground middle of the night newspapers, and they spread the word and Fought back.As Americans- we should be ashamed of an Administration that acts as Criminals-bullying people- even women and children, and engaging in rendition,torture and imprisonment, and Abu Gahrib and Gitmo are just pieces of a Sadistic Puzzle- nothing to be proud of. Katrina alone should be a source of shame to ALL Americans.And now an old man has been shot in the face by one of our leaders, more Shame.
Mr.Troll- your insincere little messeges about my health and wellbeing have been forwarded to the Authorities- we will let them decide your motives and sincerity. You have been warned to leave my Blog and blog posse alone. I have done you no harm- I reccomend that you leave this Blog alone.Cowards should know better than to harrass strong women.I have a good Heart and a strong spirit- it is WHY I have survived and lived so long.Shame on you.
You remain deleted.
Enigma-
Quick question, how do you delete without a note saying "Comment removed by Blog administrator"? My blog will not let me do that. You use blogger? Mine has two choices- delete by person with administrative access or delete by author of the comment. Both will still leave an indicator in the thread though. How do you remove that?
Enigma: OMFG... where do these troll freaks of nature come from? I just got a new one of my own yesterday.
Pssst.. here is a hint for all trolls who are threatened by liberal & independent women: Go to therapy, move out of your parents' basement, and take very long showers... because maybe if you keep putting water on it, IT WILL EVENTUALLY GROW BIG.
Thanks Tina - for coming by- nad I have no idea where they come from- and yes I have been DELETING the problem- we gals have to look out for each other- man nothing makes them feel like a BIG man like picking on a woman- kind of like Unca Dick shooting an old man in the face....
Lilly's question about the deleted comments- I remove on the edited page and for some reason the part about "deleted by Blog administrator" have been removed and don't show now- this is new- it used to always show up- i have no idea what happened- I do know that 2 weeks ago the Blogger was down and they said they were working on Comments...so I don't know?
Enigma,
Ironically though, I think this troll issue ties into your thread here about bullies and whether we hide or whether we get right back up in their face. As I've stated, we always have the option to ignore a comment. Just like we have the choice to walk away if somebody is abusive. I can only speak for me, but I think a 'peaceful' life necessitates that I remain aware of my own control and how much I am willing to give up to some creep trying to bug me. I don't give them the power to bug me if I can help it.
They do not call the shots, they do not dictate how I respond. They might upset me or maybe even hurt me, but they will not shut me up.
I wish I could agree with you, and on many levels I do. But the sad fact is that if a Troll follows me from another blog back to my own and gets rude or abusive, or is rude or abusive to my guests here, I have to protect myself and my guests here. They come here to Rest and and Read and Think and sometime for talk and sometimes for respite amoung like souls, and I appreciate that. So I DELETE ALL trolls- period , they are not allowed to come here and pick on anyone, or pretend to have discussions, It also means that no one is allowed to hijack the comments or the discussion. I am smarter than that. But that is how I run my humble little blog. We all have to make choices, and decide what we want. But if I go somewhere and women are being hurt or targeted and then that trouble follows me here , yes I will speak up- that is what I have to do.Silence is a very dangerous Weapon is this era. Voices matter.
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