From the beginnings of our race, mothers would warn children of hidden dangers.
Sure, they were concerned about the obvious ones. But nature provided us with instincts that propelled us away from the lion’s roar or the steep cliff.
It was the disguised dangers, such as the hidden slime pit or the attractive but poisonous flowers and fruit, that they would selectively warn their offspring about.
And then, as towns and cities grew, there were other hidden dangers as is likely best represented by the warning:
Never accept candy from strangers.
Although I cannot speak for anyone else, I can tell you that my children still heard that warning. And I’m pretty sure my grand-kids are so forewarned as well. Time will tell if the message took hold.
But has society yet learned to apply it on a broader, less personal interchange level? It sure looks to be that the warning has dimmed.
For instance, how many do you know, people or institutions, that accept, and even seek, “candy” from DC? How about from China? Or, worse, from the UN?
Is Hillsdale College the last institution that appears to adhere to this nostrum? Maybe not even them, since I don’t know the names and character of their largest donors. They provide the public with many free bits of knowledge. But what’s lacking is how best to employ it to overturn in reality all the forces that are now openly plotting to eradicate all wisdom of which Hillsdale attempts to preserve.
So let me restate the only reason for this short essay:
ALL WHO REFUSE CANDY FROM STRANGERS:
WHY WOULD YOU ACCEPT IT FROM DC?
OR WORSE, FROM THE UN?
As other contributors to Liberty’s Torch do more than I, share your insights on how you apply the implied warning of this contemporary question.
And even better: teach us how you find effective ways to convince your community to firmly adopt the same caution.
