Life of Pride
Friday, January 13, 2006
I said, "What do you think, what goes through your mind, when the teacher asks you a question and you don't know the answer?"
It was a bombshell. Instantly a paralyzed silence fell on the room. . . . Finally Ben . . . answered my question, by saying in a loud voice, "Gulp!"
...
I asked them why they felt gulpish. They said they were afraid of failing, afraid of being kept back, afraid of being called stupid, afraid of feeling themselves stupid. Stupid. Why is it such a deadly insult to these children, almost the worst thing they can think of to call each other? Where do they learn this? (John Holt, How Children Fail, 71)
My parents never, ever let us call each other "stupid." It was the worst insult possible. Why? Why does the Bible say that calling somebody a "fool" is akin to murder? Does mentally negating another person's intelligence render him less of a human being in our minds? Does it, essentially, mean that we are negating his value as a human being?
It was a bombshell. Instantly a paralyzed silence fell on the room. . . . Finally Ben . . . answered my question, by saying in a loud voice, "Gulp!"
...
I asked them why they felt gulpish. They said they were afraid of failing, afraid of being kept back, afraid of being called stupid, afraid of feeling themselves stupid. Stupid. Why is it such a deadly insult to these children, almost the worst thing they can think of to call each other? Where do they learn this? (John Holt, How Children Fail, 71)
My parents never, ever let us call each other "stupid." It was the worst insult possible. Why? Why does the Bible say that calling somebody a "fool" is akin to murder? Does mentally negating another person's intelligence render him less of a human being in our minds? Does it, essentially, mean that we are negating his value as a human being?
Comments:
In my family, we were never allowed to call each other "stupid" either. Teasing is okay, insulting is not, and calling someone stupid is definitely an insult.
But I think we want to separate two things: first of all, separate the terms stupid and fool. To me, stupid is intellectual only. Fool has a moral connotation--the fool says in his heart, there is no God.
And I also think we want to separate intellectual ability with human value. Human value comes from being made in the image of God. Part of this is that we are intellectual beings--but God gifts some differently than others, and because of the effects of sin, some people's intellects are severely damaged. That doesn't decrease their value as human beings, however.
Post a Comment
But I think we want to separate two things: first of all, separate the terms stupid and fool. To me, stupid is intellectual only. Fool has a moral connotation--the fool says in his heart, there is no God.
And I also think we want to separate intellectual ability with human value. Human value comes from being made in the image of God. Part of this is that we are intellectual beings--but God gifts some differently than others, and because of the effects of sin, some people's intellects are severely damaged. That doesn't decrease their value as human beings, however.
