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If I ruled the world...  | | White House correspondent Helen Thomas |
On the CBS magazine show, Sunday Morning, Tracy Smith interviewed five prominent octogenarians who were among eighty others of that age selected for a book entitled simply "80". Entertainer Elaine Stritch, Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post, White House correspondent Helen Thomas, TV Producer Norman Lear, and Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire were asked as a wrap-up question in the segment, " What would you do if you ruled the world?"
Perhaps Elaine Stritch had the most provocative and self-deprecating answer, certainly the funniest. After commenting on the dumbness of the question, the typically acerbic Stritch went on to say, "If I ruled the world we'd all be in trouble!" The rest of the responses were surprisingly predictable: end suffering, disease, conflict, war, etc. All laudable of course, but I was expecting something perhaps a bit more profound, if not creative. Of course one must consider the sources of the answers, None of those featured in the piece are particularly known for their depth of thought or insight on spiritual matters so of course their responses would be predictably superficial. Laudable as their edicts might be, they all dealt with externals, things these folks thought might effect the unchanging and seemingly unchangeable conditions of our world. What I was hoping for was that just one might have gleaned enough insight in his/her impressive span of years to perhaps propose a wish for something that would actually change human consciousness itself. If I ruled the world and possessed supernatural as well as universal temporal, absolute power, I would wish for a compassionate heart for every human being. Like the Wizzard of Oz, I would, scissors in hand, insert a caring heart into the hollow within every tin man, woman and child on earth. It is only then that any hope for a peaceful future would be possible. This question that so often put celebrities and candidates for the Miss America title on the spot from time to time, do belie a more serious issue that we do well to consider: What changes, might be possible for us to choose that would positively affect humanity as we gaze, for the first time in our history, at the very real prospect of our self-inflicted demise? In the remaining three hundred words or less, I would like to tell you of the one single thing that I believe would, if not save humanity, would at least give us a fighting chance. Students of childhood development tell us of the importance of early human experiences of love, security, connectedness and the permanent, lasting effect these experiences have on human consciousness. The only way we can have a truly humane society is to raise happy, healthy, loving children. This goal seems unattainable only if we possess the hardness of heart to pretend not to understand it and provide for it in the life of every child on earth. I say, we can forget about all other human projects on our seemingly important agenda if we only care of the children. I applaud so many of my friends who have taken on the sometimes daunting responsibility for bringing forth and nourishing these new souls in the world. A loving parent does not need to be lectured on the importance of ending war, of providing universal health care to every child everywhere and a superior, free, public education system. Yet somehow we all allow ourselves to be distracted from this singular, most important purpose. It cannot be said often enough "a society is known by how it treats its children." I mourn the suffering of every child on earth not just because I possess a compassionate heart myself, but because I also realize that our very future depends solely on the survival of these precious little ones. Bob Boldt
Jefferson City
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Tags: Bob Boldt Tracy Smith CBS Elaine Stritch Ben Bradlee Helen Thomas Norman Lear Hugh Hefner
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