Hear No Evil

One day when Brittany and Stephanie were here they came into the office where Art and I were talking. They sat down at my desk, on a rolling office chair, Stephanie on Brittany's lap. For some reason, they began the "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" thing. I took several photos until they got so rambunctious with each other that it stopped being fun for them (and for us as grandparents!). Watching them, then reviewing the photos later, made me think of my own childhood in California. I remember being at my grandparents after my uncle came home from the navy in WW II. I have a glimmer of a memory of a set of little monkeys on a shelf . I think they were sitting on their haunches, one with hands covering eyes, another covering ears, another his mouth. Someone told me that these three little characters represented a good way to think about things. As that fit right into the family pattern of denial, I accepted the belief quite readily. As I ponder today, I wonder about finding a balance. Surely there is wisdom in the avoidance of snap judgments which so often turn out to be false judgments. And just as surely, in a world where evil is evident all around us, there is wisdom in seeing, hearing and speaking up about what is wrong and about what we can do to change it. So maybe another time when Brittany and Stephanie are a bit rowdy and feisty, I will try to find another way to redirect their energy rather than shutting them down. After all, it takes strong women and men to face the world we live in today. As it always has.