Preface
There are children alone in the world, wondering why they were born. There are children afraid of their parents, shamed into questioning their worth. There are children who have withdrawn from the human family after witnessing violence that destroyed their innocence.
The status of today’s children is a reflection of a larger crisis of identity. Homelessness, pervasive substance abuse, crime and violence contribute to the feelings of overwhelm and hopelessness. Many feel confused by media, deceived by leaders, disappointed by the promise of economic expansion. The foundation of life seems to be crumbling. Our memories of honesty, responsibility, and caring are fading. We are left uncertain that we can guide the future.
Yet there are moments when we do gather forces to rescue or protect a child. We momentarily regain the quintessential perspective that each life is precious and to be respected. We will champion the children, because we must. We do not give up when the threat is to the human spirit—we have fought wars for good causes; we have rebelled to claim our freedom; we have experienced ourselves being the best we can be. We sometimes allow what we feel helpless to stop, but we are not helpless to stop the maltreatment and neglect of our children.
If we are going to turn the tide, we must learn from our history. The conscience of society has not included the rights of children. Even as we make laws to protect them, we cannot erase the centuries of viewing children as property. New laws alone will not cause us to look upon them with regard for their spirit, their feelings and their potential. It is only through seeing ourselves as precious, and as an integral part of the whole, that we will also look upon children this way.
This book is an invitation to experience the dignity of children. It is here you will recognize that we have strayed from our most important mission as a human society: to nurture our children. Through empathy, compassion, self-awareness and love, we can instate dignity in our future generations.
Elements of Dignity
- To instate dignity is to help a child achieve a sense of accomplishment.
- It is to nurture his sense of belonging to the human family and to the earth.
- It is to teach him that he has the right to have personal boundaries, and that he has a voice in what takes place in the world and in his own life.
- It is to foster the spirit of generosity, that he may become a contributing member of the community.
Children need to be taught how to be human. If a mother cat teaches her young to hunt and survive, she has passed on the gift of the species. The great gift we can pass on to our children and to the human species is dignity. To live in dignity is a choice. Yet this choice may not be evident to a child until he recognizes dignity in another, affording him the opportunity to emulate what he sees.
To foster dignity, we must develop respect for ourselves and for all of life. Self respect comes from developing boundaries, finding our voice, learning that we can take care of ourselves, and that we can be whole, wise individuals within a family or community. When we respect ourselves, we can then foster that sense of dignity and self respect in our children. |
