WE’VE GOT TO BE CAREFULLY TAUGHT - Don Hanley's blog #53

In my walk-around-self, I watched an old musical film entitled South Pacific and especially liked the song – You’ve Gotta Be Carefully Taught. The musical held fond memories for me, as we had put on that play in college. My friend Jack McCoy sang the song in his great tenor voice.

When I joined my dreamland friend, Mary greeted me warmly and said, “After those Roman soldiers left, I thought of the ghastly scene that Joseph and I saw years ago – it was a horrible scene of dozens of non-Roman slaves being crucified and displayed along the road to Damascus. Now I ask you, my history traveling friend: Why would these young men, these Roman soldiers, do this to other men? How could they be so hateful?” I sat with Mary, John, Paul, and Joshua's family. I told them about the play and the wonderful song. I even allowed myself to sing it in my old man’s voice, hoping our angelic translator could translate the sentiments well.

“You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear.

You’ve got to be taught from year to year.

It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear,

You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught to be afraid of people whose eyes are oddly made.

And people whose skin is a different shade.

You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late,

Before you are six or seven of eight.

To hate all the people your relatives hate.

You have to be carefully taught.”

Mary and everyone else clapped when I wheezed my last stanza. John asked Mary if she and Joseph even considered teaching the young Jesus to hate anyone. She responded, “If I thought you were even a little serious, I would swat you one.” She chuckled and added, “Thank you, Don, for bringing that song to us. I don’t understand why people continue to hate. I did not hate the soldiers who hung my son from that hideous cross, but I still do not understand why they did it – even though I know they were following orders that were given to them by mean-spirited older men.  But why in the world did they obey such hopeless orders? I am sure that Jesus taught that everyone must be in touch with their loving human heart and do life-giving and loving things, even if it means they will be killed. John, did he not teach that we must not be afraid of death?”

I felt that I had to say, “And that was also taught through all the years since Jesus' death, but for too many, they continued to believe that they must obey their ‘superiors.’ Even today, 2,000 years later, many of our families and schools still teach that we must obey our parents, teachers, and other 'superiors.' Personally, I believe we need to eliminate the words, and the concepts, of Obedience and Conformity and replace them with Respect and Cooperation."

John said, "I'm sure Jesus would agree with you but just used different words. He stressed that we must listen to our hearts and always look at all rules and so-called 'natural laws' through the lens of our hearts. Why is that so difficult to understand?" 

I responded, "I don't think that it is so difficult to understand, but it is often hard to do. And it takes courage, and darn it, I disappeared, so now . . . 

Nurture your own heart, glimpse the menus you have been taught, and then enjoy the banquet.