Friday, August 06, 2010

70 Months


You know, if we were true to our nature, Lucas' name would have been Luna from the beginning and Quinn would have been River or Amaranth or some bohemian name like that. But we were intimidated by the pressures of our society to conform, to disavow our individual spirit and not make too many waves. Sure, we like to go against the grain a bit and subtly undermine the status quo as much as possible but becoming outright rebels hasn't entered the realm of possibility just yet.

The arguments for and against are equally compelling at times but the most profound examples of anti-establishment expression that inspires us the most almost always comes within the world of art. We acknowledge the artistic spirit that lives within each person and wish to express it, as well as witness its expression in others, as much as possible. We are also pacifists, embracing the ideals of Ghandi and MLK, so venting our outrage and confusion at a discordant world using non-violent means is the best way for us to get our message of non-conformity across without losing our sanity.

And it truly is insane, all of the violence that exists in the world. The ways that humanity has figured out how to hurt one another is astonishing when you stop for a moment and think about it. I know that it's easy to become numb to the reality of that insanity but it's out there, a threatening ominous force that burdens our consciousness. Lucas is very aware of our ideals and what he's allowed to bring into our home. Now that he's increasingly being influenced by the world beyond our doors, there are a few confrontations that we've had with him about what we expect, no gun simulation being at the top of the list. Many times he's asked if he can watch certain movies that many of his friends have watched. Most of them (even the ones that we enjoyed at a young age) have gun violence in them. It is a huge problem; the ratatat of our culture, the gluttony for blood, the insatiable desire for havoc. I don't understand why we feel the need to introduce our children to this glop so damn early. There are plenty of impressionable and creative programs out there that doesn't involve some guy getting blasted a million times until his body turns to hamburger.

Needless to say, Lucas hasn't seen quite as many movies as most of his friends. But he's come to learn that we are not going to let him watch anything that we don't want him to watch. Xtimu and I are united on this front (ahem, I hope the Grands are listening) and he's come to accept it. Ever since the teevee was invented there have been parents who have taken the time to analyze the programs that their children were exposed to and they have been filtering it. My parents did it and there were many times that I thought they were being overzealous with their censorship. Some of the time they missed and some of the time they were right on the money. Lucas isn't always going to like it but for now he's faced with an environment where his parents are very involved with the type of media that enters his brain.

Sure, there will come a day when he sneaks off to watch his generation's version of "Porky's" or "The Road Warrior" and he'll probably think they are the greatest movies for awhile, but I'd rather create a place that cherishes the beautiful light of the moon, the perfect reflection for his little face, and have him grow within that pale glow, instead of the sick blue flicker of the television. His vision will develop more profoundly in the long run and we'll have so many wonderful memories of happy and gentle thoughts, rather than the wicked echo of a machine gun rasping in our ears.

Just a note: this song always reminds me of my little moon. He's such a delight to see at the full of night.

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