Read an article today that covers a lot of material that I’ve been thinking about; and writing about for some time.The article to which I refer is James Murray’s Judas in the Making (The Australian May 8) James Murray begins by talking about the childhood of Hitler; Benito Mussolini and Rudolf Hess.
He moves on to discuss the children involved in fighting throughout the world; children who have not had the experience of childhood. My heart grieves as I think about the children who are taught to hate, before they learn to walk. As Murray puts it the education in hatred that so many children have experienced defines their future attitudes so disastrously.
Then Murray mentions the children in detention centres in Australia:
we play Judas to our own idea of fairness and go in for a sort of casuistry to defend the policy. The sad thing is that our politicians do not lack compassion but seem fearful of revealing it. Certainly some on the Coalition side personally deplore the detention of children behind razor wire, but party solidarity inhibits them. How do we quiet their consciences? And what burning fires of resentment may we be fuelling in the process?
As we look at the children of our world; the children we have locked up; we are caused to wonder; what sort of adults are we creating. As Murray concludes:
Give me a child until he is seven, and I will show you the man. But what sort of man?
UPDATE: The final report of Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission examining the policy of placing children in detention was tabled in parliament this week. The government's response was sadly predictable. Read the report for yourself here