I just finished a book called "The Flowers" by Dagoberto Gilb. I didn't particularly like it but it did get me to thinking. (Uh oh.) The book was sort of a rambling, pointless exploration of the life of a latino kid in Los Angeles. It takes place immediately before and during the Rodney King fiasco. It is apparently supposed to explore race relations in the area/time and the affects of prejudice and so forth but what kept striking me is that if most of the inner city kids have no more of a moral compass than this kid then we are all in a world of hurt. And the really horrible part is that I have a feeling that it was probably a pretty true rendering of the heart and head of a basically decent but lost kid.

This kid wants to be a good person but has literally not been taught how. He has been raised in the age of no absolute truth therefore no absolute right or wrong. A hot older girl comes onto you, of course you make out with her. Her husband isn't going to be home until much later. A man you don't like leaves money laying around (in his home) of course you take it - he deserves it and besides you have a right to some of the nicer things in life too! Someone offers you a beer.... You get the idea.

How many kids, latino, white, black, grey or green are being brought up exactly like this kid. They're told to be a good boy but they aren't told exactly what that means. If we say, "Ricky isn't a good person because he uses drugs" the world tells us that Ricky isn't "wrong" or "bad", he is a victim of ___ fill in the blank. (And that's just the part of the world that isn't just telling us that Ricky is cool or Ricky is just exercising his right to choose his own "truth".) Hillary's "village" has tried desperately to make us feel guilty for daring to do what parents, and specifically American parents have done for centuries; teach our children our own beliefs and world view. Yes, I want my children to think for themselves when they are grown but they have to have solid roots and a solid foundation to start with. Asking an adult to untangle the complicated mess of philosophy, politics and religion is one thing. Expecting a child to do so is ridiculous.

People, wake up. There is right and there is wrong. There is truth and there are lies. Teach these to your children. Teach them to make decisions about the things that are not absolute based on the things that are. When they are older, they will figure out that others have different ideas of what those consist of and as adults with a strong sense of who they are and what they are, they can make decisions as to their own views. The key is that they can make those judgement calls and lifestyle decisions as adults. Adults who know that it is important to stand for something. And that some things are true always and some things are wrong... always.