Never Again*
Kids say the darnedest things. Hilarious interpretations, off-the-cuff philosophical depths, and even hard-hitting truths. Our hearts burst in adoration and we exult in their cleverness when they say things like,
“My name is Liz. Short for lizard,”
“I’m not cheating. I’m only helping myself win,”
“Don’t dry my tears. I need to feel them on my cheeks,”
“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth,” and
“My mom says I should just ignore people I don’t like and, well, that’s you,”
after which we resoundingly declare, “Out of the mouths of babes,” as if the phrase were the triumphant echo of a mike drop.
But when their truths are mirrors of condemnation and should actually be hitting us hard, why is it that we’re suddenly so deaf?
How do we not see, again and again and again, that nothing — absolutely nothing — justifies the miseries we inflict upon them?
How can we not agree that they all are — regardless of birthplace, race, or creed — the soul of our soul?
We anthropomorphize toys in order to claim our humanity, but dehumanize humans in order to justify our inhumanity. How monstrous.
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[*Image titles are quotes from displaced children in areas under military attack who have been variously affected: loss of limb, loss of family, loss of home, loss of education, loss of washing/cooking/drinking water, loss of sanitation systems, loss of adequate caloric/nutritional intake, loss of healthcare, loss of safety, loss of prospects...loss of innocence.]