Why?

I saw a share on facebook quite awhile ago, from this mommy blog, titled "My Kid's are not the center of my world".

I though most of her most of her points were good, though I expressed concern that perhaps us "old-timers" didn't necessarily have a good grasp on some aspects of modern day bullying. With the advent of social everything, and with a general social trend toward sarcasm and meanness (It is hard to find a sitcom that isn't primarily an insult tennis match), Bullying has become much more sophisticated, coordinated, and focused. Many such incidents are more reminiscent of brainwashing and psychological torture techniques than the bullying I remember seeing.

A couple days ago, I saw this news write-up of the blog post. Reviewing the comments, I think I am a minority opinion on the subject. Lots of responses about kids needing to toughen up, stop being whimps... about parents needing to stop hovering, stop being over protective... a few comments about overreacting to "kids being kids".

And while I don't disagree with the sentiment that many need to be a little less sensitive, that parents need to let their children take a few knocks, and that we need to accept that people will sometime misbehave...

As I was walking out to my car to drive home today, I thought about the "Kids will be kids" line, and found myself thinking.... Why?

Why do we just accept that kids are going to be mean to each other? Why is that normal? In many places now, home security systems are a standard feature. Millions (Billions?) of dollars are spent on security systems, cameras, sensors, alarms... for what purpose? What useful value do they serve? None! We buy them to protect us from thieves, robbers, home invaders. But why? Why is this an industry? Because theft is so common. We just accept it as a normal part of daily living....

Why? Why do we accept this as "The norm?", Why do we talk act, behave as though this is how it was, is, and always will be? Why will "boys be boys"?


In the Book of Mormon, Helaman, Chapter 6, there is a story about the Gadianton Robbers - a crime syndicate. They were the Mafia of the time. They would rob, plunder, bribe, extort... They would even assassinate government officials in order to place their own in positions of power. They wreaked havoc on the people in the Americas.


Then it tells us in verse 20 of this chapter

 20 And now it came to pass that when the Lamanites found that there were robbers among them they were exceedingly sorrowful; and they did use every means in their power to destroy them off the face of the earth.

and then in verse 37

37 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did hunt the band of robbers of Gadianton; and they did preach the word of God among the more wicked part of them, insomuch that this band of robbers was utterly destroyed from among the Lamanites.



Why can't we do that? Is it really, truly not possible for us to expect better? Can't we at least try? Am I asking too much?