Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Misplaced Priorities

This is one of the more disturbing articles that I've read lately. Behold, the fruits of feminism, of our cultural contempt for family, motherhood, womanhood, and children. And the U.S. Navy is on board this sinking vessel.

Veni, Domine Jesu!

5 comments:

Rev. Larry Beane said...

Children of this age give the impression that they are young adults, but in fact, they really need their parents (if at all possible) at this stage in life. They are unbelievably vulnerable and impressionable at this age.

Our culture has degraded the vocation of parenthood to the point where we no longer believe both a mother and a father are important, to the point where parents are nothing more than providers of material goods - and of course, anyone can do that. In fact, a latchkey kid with a swimming pool is seen as better off than a kid who lives in a single-wide with a stay-at-home mom.

Single celebrities (whose own family lives are often in shambles) adopt foreign children the way we might pick out a watermelon in the produce section - only to be raised by hired hands while Mom pursues her dreams of stardom (not to mention cycling through high-profile husbands and divorces).

Moreover, the woman in this article may even be killed in the course of her Navy career - which would leave her daughter even more messed up. It is not uncommon these days to have both parents serving in the military at the same time, both being sent overseas - while the children are placed with another relative.

In any other career, the government would seize custody of children from their parents for leaving them with others for the sake of career. However, in these cases, the government actually takes part in the abomination.

As you point out, the story is given a positive spin. This is a reflection of our culture. The woman is praised for making such a "sacrifice" (that is, to selflessly think of herself and her desired career over and above her daughter). Who is really making the sacrifice? Who is really being sacrificed?

St. Paul did indeed deal with misplaced vocational priorities, but not even the Roman Empire accepted single mothers (or husbands and wives) into the military. In this regard, we have even topped their perversity.

Lawrence said...

Sadly, this may be the best thing for this child, given this is her mother's true priorities.

Anonymous said...

This is indeed another sad example of a parent's desire to be something overriding the parental instinct that screams at us to do what is in a child(ren)'s best interest. Often this means sacrificing our "dreams" for the reality that God has blessed us with children making us responsible for them. I heard a Catholic priest once say that with the "blessing of a child comes the responsiblity to educate that child". Of course "educate" in this sense includes instruction in the faith. Now then saying that what about those men who sacrifice their family's economic stability not to pursue their "dreams" of being a pastor?

Anonymous said...

The last sentance should of course read:

Now then saying that what about those men who sacrifice their family's economic stability to pursue their "dreams" of being a pastor?

Anonymous said...

I agree with you that this case is an example of "the fruits of feminism, of our cultural contempt for family, motherhood, womanhood, and children." However, it is also an example of the fruits of a rabid nationalism that places the state's "needs" ahead of the needs of the family.