Probability and the Boogeyman

For those who wish to be honest, there’s only one reality when it comes to human rights, and that is that there are none. Universally speaking, all lifeforms have the same basic right, which is the right to try to survive and thrive in whatever situations they find themselves in. Each and every one of us is entitled to nothing but a death. For those of us who drew a lucky card and were born into a life full of opportunities to thrive, we are usually imbued with a sense of gratitude, though we are aware of the fact that many are born into suffering. Only deranged thinking allows one to believe that some divine power blessed them with a good life while condemning others to enter the world, live short, painful existences and then be forgotten as easily as they were conceived. So, gratitude is not the best word to use in this context; it should be appreciation. If this appreciation leads to altruistic behavior, all the better.

Of course, explaining this all to a child is a challenge. No one in his or her right mind would have the following exchange with their five-year-old:

“Mommy, I’m afraid of the dark. I think there’s a monster in my closet.”
“Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Timmy was talking about it today.”
“Maybe he was just trying to scare you.”
“So, I’ll be OK? There are no monsters”
“Well, there are no monsters, but there are people in the world who do terrible things to others, even children. There may even be such a person in our town; he may be driving the streets right now, looking for a house to break into, a child to take away somewhere to torture and kill…”
“Mommy, you’re scaring me!”
“Don’t be afraid, there are so many houses out there that the possibility of the bad man choosing our house is so small, it’s not worth worrying about…”

However, encouraging beliefs in fairy tales isn’t the best approach either. Saying things like “God loves you and will protect you” seems ridiculous when your child is bound to learn that some other children in similar communities, whose parents have said the same thing to them, fall ill, suffer and die. And, to say then, “Well, the Lord works in mysterious ways” is likely to be seen as a cop out by many kids. Moreover, it could lead a child to think, “Geez, maybe I should try harder to be good, so the Lord doesn’t work any of his mysterious ways on me!”

Clearly, children need important people in their lives, like parents, other family, and teachers to guide them in their moral development. Teaching them critical thinking, and allowing them to come to their own conclusions with a minimal amount of bias should be the main strategy used. Endless explanations and repeated admonishments without attention given to making sure a child understands what it all means is likely to create moral deficiencies.