RE: The inexpanded reality of a child

John Touzios (JTouzios@mwumail.midwestern.edu)
Mon, 29 Mar 1999 23:01:56 -0600 

it is indeed disgusting to consider people in the light of projects--by all 
means let's not sit around the corporate table and discuss ways of selling our 
product, a mind-cleanse, or something.  but who on this list can deny that 
there are...patterns which humans are capable of falling into and sharing 
across the population.  indeed people are just people, thank god, but ideas 
remain just ideas as well.  to ignore those ideas or anything they mask is a 
disservice.  but don't get me wrong--so is being an ass.

>I've truly enjoyed the recent mystical definitions of an American as well as
>the follow-up wits and wisdoms of some of the great minds on this list.
>However, in as much simplicity as I can bear, it sickens me.  An American
>isn't a nicely phrased thought.  An American is simply a person as much as
>everyone else--perhaps arrogant or perhaps altruistic, but despite that, he 
or
>she is still a person.  Nothing more.
>
>And without trying to downgrade the issues in Kosovo, I already hear about 
the
>attrocities and so does everyone else on the list on a daily basis.  And I
>think it is an attrocity in itself for children to be given such factual and
>yet such false opinions of war.  I subscribe to this list as one of my few
>escapes from the world.  Is it me, or have adults forgotten that their
>conceptions directly affect the conceptions of children?
>
>Although, perhaps my thoughts are the example of the personal reality in 
which
>we, children, live.  Which brings me to my Salinger question:  does Salinger
>use children with an acceptance of social reality or personal reality?  I'm
>sure that most common response I'll get will support personal reality, but is
>there an argument to show children having a much keener understanding of
>reality than the adult-world would like to admit?
>
>
>Mike

"Man the most complex, intricate and delicately constructed 
machine of all creation, is the one with which the osteopath 
must become familiar."  A.T. Still

"Everyone seems to know how useful it is to be useful.
 No one seems to know how useful it is to be useless."
                           Chuang Tzu