A land of milk and honey

So too there are millions of women who have their babies relying on their built in operating systems, maybe with local friends and little else. Intuitively they know what to do; they have no option but take the rough with the smooth and do the best they can in whatever environment they find themselves. Children born into dire situations do what needs to be done. Evidence of this is seen with HIV/aids orphans in Botswana who take on the parenting role when even the grandmother dies. Alas in our sophisticated world we find doting rather than loving mothers who lack the sows’ savvy. With no real sense of their own identity they promise their spoiled young a life of perpetual comfort and apparent security in what seems an ideal world. Being cloned in that way comes at a terrible price. Youngsters fed a diet of certainty and promises yet with no mind of their own and no sense of autonomy take as normal a life of pleasures and treats as compensation for what must seem a futile life. Yet there’s always ‘the worst that can happen’ and the worry that comes with it. Prof. Nereda White, an Australian aboriginal educator spoke at Brighton University. Her talk was mouthwatering. I’m struggling to see how 'we' might borrow the essence of her family experience. When adult 'sisters' have children it seems the individual women seem not to own the kids so if there's a child who would do better with an 'aunt' the youngster is as it were shuffled sideways. And no one seems bothered and a good time is had by all. As it is 'we' who enjoy no such tradition either suffer in silence or engage a family therapists to patch up what are essentially dysfunctional families. As late developers we develop a greater sense of our humanity as we enjoy a shared sense of emotional well being and resourcefulness. Much as a child in Nereda's extended family who has been shuffled sideways flourishes in a more congenial environment. Similarly I...

Channel: Vimeo Video Length: 3m 20s Date Found: Sat, Jul 31 2010 10:53 PM Category: Home Video Date Produced: Wed, Jun 09 2010 11:09 AM View Count: 0