Injustice discovered

 I was having a brief discussion with a friend of mine when this thought came to mind. The perceptions of our parents forge the views we have as children. We may carry those views into our adult life and repeat them. There are times when those views have remained unexamined. That will lead to the propagation of a misconception. It is this action that sustains bias and in some instances prejudice. I wish to point out that in this instance the prejudice I mean is not the racial prejudice that jumps to the forefront these days, but merely a pre-judgement of a group or individual. It was that statement that led me to some introspection. Had my parents instilled some misconceptions in me ? I knew immediately and without a doubt that they had. I also know I have done the same with my own children and grandchildren. 

 Each of us are products of our environments. The time, place and conditions of our raising forming our character. But not really, it is our choices that form our character. The choices offered are those presented by our parents, society as a whole and conclusions reached by our own efforts. It is a natural thing for a child to adopt the ways of his parents. They are the role models, the guiding force. It is also natural for a child to want to fit into society and so adopt the ways of that society. That extends all the way down to the neighborhood you live in. In every society there are groups and sub groups, classes if you wish. I am the youngest child, the baby of the family. It is from that position that I grew. That was my "view" during my childhood.

 As adults we tend to deal in absolutes. At least what we perceive to be absolutes. They became that way either through our raising or through our own observations of life. It was Socrates that said, " the unexamined life is not worth living. " I think that is what he was talking about, in part. We should examine our perceptions to discover the truth. Our parents have told us their truths, but are they the truth ?  There is a grain of truth in every lie, but lie is such a strong word. To lie is to intentionally deceive. I don't believe my parents every intentionally practiced deceit. I can't imagine any parent doing that. Still, some of their perceptions were jaded or just incorrect ! Adults must deal in absolutes to maintain order. A saying my own Dad used often was, either defecate or get off the toilet ! Yes, I paraphrased that statement but the truth of it remains. We must decide upon a course of action. We must adopt an absolute, set a standard, and strive to fulfill that standard.

 It can be uncomfortable to arrive at a different understanding of the facts that the one taught to us by our parents. A feeling almost of betrayal can come over you. I believe that is why we cling so tightly to some of the perceptions we have. Those perceptions we adopted as truths. They are difficult to abandon. That is because they are a part of our foundation. To begin to remove the foundation is to weaken the whole structure. What if we discover more fallacies ? That will lead to doubt, doubt to uncertainty, and uncertainty to inaction.

 As adults, parents and grandparents it should be our job to examine our motivations and perceptions to ensure we pass along the truth as accurately as we can perceive it. A life examined. We must build that firm foundation. The only way to do that is with quality materials. Any doubt as to the integrity of that material needs to be removed. The discovery of injustice, no matter how small, should be corrected, not excused.