What children are not "ours"?

Question

Today, in far too many places around the world, children are suffering and dying. We turn our backs or avert our eyes because, I suspect, they are not "our" children. Their race or ethnicity is different than ours. Their religion is not ours.

I grew up in New York City in a neighborhood in which almost everyone was Jewish and of German or Polish descent. It would have been everyone except for me and my family. I was the lone non-white, non-Jewish child.

Ruben owned the local candy store and soda fountain. He was a Holocaust survivor who had lost his entire family to Hitler's killing machine. He had his concentration camp tattoo to prove it.

Working for Ruben was a plum job with the neighborhood kids. In addition to the pay, you got all the soda and ice cream you could eat and access to all the comic books on sale there. Competition for a job was fierce.

Ruben hired me.

Some of the ladies in the neighborhood were miffed that their sons had been passed over and two of them approached Ruben and upbraided him for not hiring a child who was "one of us."

There was a long pause as Ruben just stared at them and then looked down at the tattoo on his forearm. "Since when" he asked them, "has any child not been one of us?"

Now I ask all of you the same question. Since when has any child not been one of us?

Answer 1

none. all children are ours. this is why i do not understand why people criticize madonna for adopting a child out of her race. the child needed a home AND madonna and her husband had love to give. i didn't like that the focus was on madonna "rescuing" a child. the child who is adopted rescues the parents from being childless, from wasting the love and resources they would love to share. and i appreciate that you shared your story. it is a touching and thoughtful one.

i think we can be immobilized by our own frustration at world hunger. i, myself, feel embarrassed and bad by throwing food away that i forgot about in my refrigerator. what has helped me is the chapter in "don't sweat the small stuff" that states, "surrender to the fact that life isn't fair." it shocked me to hear this idea but what carlson means is compassion is more important than pity for self or for others. and it also helped me relax, let go of the many blunders i have made (leaving water running longer than i should when people in california are fighting wildfires and water shortages) and realize no one person can save the entire world. i have heard, "i cannot save my society, but i can change myself," and like this quote. i began to realize that giving a little money to each cause that asks is reactive and won't be as effective as being proactive - choosing a cause to invest in, spend time on, focus your brain power on - and letting guilty feelings that one is not doing enough go. it's okay to try and save the children or the world - one cause at a time.

Answer 2

After back and forth over "productivity"( Vi's a Vi's France),
I now question ,once again,your claim to be a Libertarian.As others have expressed,how do we act directly in other countries affairs to supply "humanitarian" aid,when just like Iraq and the other countries with which we have become involved,we lack control .If we commit,we are wrong,if we don't commit,we are wrong,if we commit and leave,we are wrong.The UN and nations of their own continent can't seem to resolve these problems,how can we?My church donates millions of dollars to African,South American and Asian counties less fortunate then our own people.We provide food and shelter in our own community to those less fortunate.We provide shelter and comfort to as many as we can,without regards to race,ethnicity,religious affiliation or other "forgotten children".Not because it is mandated by government,but because it is right.You seem to be carrying a cross that is not your's to bear.Without the enormous sacrifices the people of our country have given and are giving----where would the world be? I make no apologies for the kindnesses of the people of the United States.

Answer 3

Tell you what, my hubby is in the UK Army, i`me part Jewish also....my great uncle and aunt were in concentration camps....I have 4 kids now from 17 to 3....I am 34....I took my kids to Belson the other week....I live in Germany....they RESPECTED the people there SOOOO MUCH....seeing mounds and mounds of bodies and going in the chapel thing in the middle of the grounds....it`s a triangular type shaped thing with candles in it....I took my kids in there, before we went in I said ,sit down, be quiet and don`t say a word out of respect for everyone who is here, do you know something?....even my 3 year old was SILENT!!!!!!!!!....VERY rare for him!!!!....LOL........I am UK C of E....as are my children....my hubby is a Catholic, BUT, as I said, my family are Jewish for the most part, I respect it, honour it and feel bad it was so degraded....I also saw Ann Franks grave, I didn`t realise it was at Belson and that her family had been taken there....TRAGIC....also the Russian troops graves were at the back of Belson with LOADS of graves EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!...........REALLY SAD....i`me glad I took my children to see it and I hope it will be there in years to come so they can show their children....it should NEVER be forgotton....I`ll NEVER forget seeing a pile of glasses and shoes about 6 metres high from the men, women and children who had been killed there....GOD KNOWS how many more....I saw the video when the Royal Engineers went in and liberated them....GOD....it beggars belief!....we are lucky if we live in a `civilised` society now....god help the rest....I KNOW what i`ve seen and how it has affected me and my kids....I take my hat off to all who fought in EVERY war....xxxx....if not for them the world would be a sorry place....XXXX....maybe I wasn`t as intelligent as everyone else and didn`t get the question, but, i found it a valid point to raise

Answer 4

Thank you for posting this. I think the same and I'm happy to see someone else who thinks so, because most people don't. In theory, most people would say they agree that all humans are equal and deserve equal rights, but the reality in this world is far from it.
So most people accept that every year millions of children die from hunger and preventable diseases. If that happens to one kid in the West it's a big issue but in many countries it's the usual and people don't care.
I don't know if it's really because of race or religion. Many of the people who are really in need in Africa or Latin America are Christian. And many people who absolutely don't mind the death of so many African children have no negative attitude towards blacks who have money and education and live like they live themselves.
I really wish that somewhen in the future the world will change and people will think about our era like we think about what is past for us. For us wars between European nations are past, but war in other parts of the world is not. For us American slavery is past, but in other parts of the world there are still forms of slavery. I'm relatively optimist because if these things changed in Europe and America, they can also change on a larger scale. But it is a problem that people in the West are so much focused on their own part of the world.
I remember during the civil war in former Yugoslavia and during the Kosovo war, many European politicians said that we must not let that happen in Europe. When it happens in Africa or Asia, they don't care and act as if it were normal that "uncivilized" peoples fight civil wars and massacre each other as if Europeans had proven in history that they were so "civilized" and would never do such things.

Anyway I do what I can do now and I donate to organizations that I trust and that help people in need. But it is frustrating to see that overall there is so little effort done and things change only very slowly.

Answer 5

It takes a village to raise a child . In this day and age it seems the ME factor is also included in children and their well being . I love children and help out many people who are less fortunate than me and do their kids hair for the school year and get them a little something for the first day . I'm not rich , but ,it is better to give than to receive ,and if I can give hope to one child that the future is going to be better for them if they put their mind to it then that's payment enough !

Answer 6

I understand and full heartedly agree that we should come together in a realistic and logical way, in order to try and save poverty stricken youth especially in other countries, sometimes I think that is what the governments money should be spent on. I don't care what race or religion you are from, the population that are in need as a whole should be a priority. This is something that God does not want, turning the other cheek on a matter such as this.

Answer 7

good story. no child should not be one of us, the problem is the adults. i believe prejudice and hatred is learned. im seeing it more and more. the children continue to be the victim of the adults ignorance, and that passes on. all races are guilty. you would think by now, with the world evolving the way the way it has, people in general would have learned something. they havent. there needs to be more rubens.

Answer 8

You will find that most people agree with you, but most people are very busy trying to feed and clothe their own children. There are also thousandsof charities and organizations who support children. Some are wealthy individuals, like Oprah, who is busy building schools for girls in Africa. Others are building hospitals. The Gates are providing badly needed medicines. Others give what they can during church on Sunday morning.

So, please do not imply that no one cares for the children of the world. So many that we never hear of do.

Let's try to remember and praise them once in a great while.

Answer 9

Great story and support the general sentiment. But lets not forget that local governments are largely responsible for the dreadful state of many countries across the world. It is not western peoples that have aided corruption and despotic government in the third world - but our own rulers have at times so we are responsible in that sense.

Answer 10

Yes all them are ours but the rich nations seams don't care about it and prefer spend billions dollars per second making war and spend billions dollars to go to the moon and to space found water and see if there are live...!!! What for!!??
To sale trips to rich people to go to the moon!!! Very strange our society.!
So what to do with our child on cites abandoned and pass hungry, cold and all bad in the world and the poverty is to care when??!! No answers for that....