“We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.” ~ C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
Sometimes you do your best and things don't go right. That's parenthood in a nutshell, I suppose, even when it's done properly. We're all operating under the cloud of Original Sin, and those kids are going to give us heartache.
Or, as my girlhood friend's Italian mother would put it when we would get on her bad side, “You're nothing but an aggravation.”
But it's a bit worse if we just plain don't teach our children the right ways in which to go.
Lewis, in the quote above, is talking to and about teachers, but hey, let's go right to the source. When I was reminded of this “laugh at honor/find traitors in our midst” thing, some thoughts that were jangling around in my mind came together, and I realized why it is that I get so impatient with today's parenting and educational philosophies.
Instead of ranting about it, I thought that I would play with Lewis' quote. Of course, nothing beats his original pithiness, but, here goes.
We fail to mention that your word is your bond, and are shocked when students cheat.
We don't seek wisdom, and are shocked to find ourselves surrounded by fools.
We don't practice or teach self-control, and are shocked to find libertines in our midst.
We never ask for a little more of ourselves or our children, and are shocked that they give in to every whim.
We are in love with power, and are shocked that we have manipulators in our midst.
We are afraid of silence, and are shocked to find that our children need constant noise.
We neglect beauty in little things, and are shocked that our children are attracted to ugliness.
We treat our children coldly, and are shocked that they run for affection in others' arms.
We are afraid of marriage and babies — in that order — and are shocked that the world is unsafe for children.
We laugh at chastity, and are shocked to find promiscuity in our midst.
We laugh at heaven, and are shocked to find hopelessness in our midst.
We laugh at hell, and are shocked to find cruelty in our midst.
We laugh at fidelity, and are shocked to find divorce in our midst.
We laugh at commitment, and are shocked to find we have no grandchildren.
Well, let's devote ourselves to stopping all this rejection of standards. Let's find the energy to live, and offer our children the chance to live, a life that struggles towards virtue, for the sake of God's goodness; just starting today in a small way to work, rest, love, and laugh healthy, not destructive, laughter. We will fall short. Evil will still roam about. That's not the point. The point is to strive!
*Add your “After Lewis” quote in the comments if you are moved to do so! [Sadly, when the blog came over to this space, we lost the old comments to this post. If anyone would like to add their “after Lewis” quote (new or old!), feel free!]
Carol says
I came upon your post via Pinterest. This is so true and you articulated it in a powerful way. Thank you!
Leila says
Thank you, Carol!
Yucchi says
I was reminded of this post by the current election quandary so I had to come back and reread. It was as good as I remembered it to be. Thank you.
Christina A says
I thought back to this post today when I read a wonderful analysis of That Hideous Strength which said Abolition of Man is its non-fiction companion; I think you might enjoy it: https://credomag.com/article/the-greatness-of-insignificant-service/
Leila says
This is fantastic and I’m including it in today’s b & p! Thank you for bringing it to my attention!
Christina A says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Christina A says
So, I’m still thinking about this post since my book group started the Space Trilogy (this will be only my second time reading it), and I’m hoping to read Abolition of Man for the first time as I reread That Hideous Strength. I also thought about the C.S. Lewis Doodle youtube channel you shared a few years back, and it now has 5 videos about the Abolition of Man, which I hope to watch as I read as well: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9boiLqIabFh94-pJbd8RH2f2YXQwmOGD
kellymaya says
The C.S. Lewis Doodle link doesn’t work. Does anyone know if the videos on Abolition of Man are gone? I couldn’t find them on YouTube… I had watched the Men Without Chests before and wanted to rewatch.
Leila says
They are now here: https://www.youtube.com/user/CSLewisDoodle
They really need to have some sort of re-direction!