The Garden that I have Cultivated is my Son
April 8, 2011
By William F. Dement(for henrymakow.com)
I came to New Mexico to give my children memories of the Old West; of cowboys, ranches and open vistas, the American frontier of lore before it was gone forever.
With two graduate degrees under my belt, one in Secondary Education, I was tired of diversity being rammed down my throat and the unspoken educational philosophy of bringing up the rear while neglecting the gifted.
The concept of "everybody wins" stunk of of the putrid air of mediocrity.
Back in NYC, there was Zero Tolerance for bullying; yet my son, Ben, was bullied daily and nothing was done.
He wasn't a homosexual.
I told him that he had to defend himself if a bully approached. I ended my son's karate lessons. I felt karate was not practical for the street. I taught him to box and then he spent a year at the local boxing gym sparring.
Most people never get punched so he was ahead of the game. I was proved correct when he threw a bullying classmate across the room several months later. I told him not to worry and "take a suspension, the bullies will respect you." Luckily he was exonerated because he did not start it.
I have now worked daily with him and taught him the Israeli self defense-Krav Maga. It is meant for defense and it is lethal. I taught him these skills should he need it.
He is a crack shot and we practice regularly with the .22 rifle. He realizes that at some point we may have to hunt for food.
LEARNING ABOUT POLITICS
My son learned about politics when I was county Chairman. He was the first to tell me he saw no difference in the parties.
They say "out of the mouth of babes." He also understands our countries' dire situation. He knows we are broke. Ben realizes that a college education might not be there for the vast majority of Americans as the economy continues to worsen. He is determined to get ahead.
He asks me if the Great Depression of the "Grapes of Wrath" could happen again. He is the one with the list buying bags of rice and beans every time we go to Sam's Club.
He has the art of food storage down to a science; diatomaceous earth to kill the bugs, an oxygen absorber mixed in to a five-gallon bucket that he hammers the lid on and then marks the date and food item.
We debate everything from politics: the Gulf Spill, the Japanese nuclear meltdown, the eroding Constitution, and the loss of freedoms in this country.
Last Thanksgiving after making the turkey dinner himself, Ben debated with our guests; six seventy-something-year-old neighbors, why he believes we are living in both a "Brave New World" as Huxley espoused and Orwell's dystopic "1984' at the same time.
He cites "Lord of the Flies" to emphasis the dangers of people attempting to govern themselves and the disastrous result.
I have tried to instill him to be a lifelong learner-to learn for the sake of learning. He no longer does simply the required reading. Now recently turned 13, Ben has developed a voracious appetite for knowledge. He has become a wise judge of people and he is a leader. He realizes that most Americans are simply sheep. When problems get to me, he gives me a rake.
"What is this for? I ask.
"Time to cultivate your garden," he responds with a smile.
I take a deep breathe and realize that Voltaire's Panglossian optimism exudes in my son and it is contagious. The garden that I have cultivated is my son. After all I think to myself, "This is the best of all possible worlds."
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William F. Dement is a retired Lieutenant Commander Narcotics Squad. He was a high school history/government teacher in rural New Mexico.
William (author) said (April 10, 2011):
Actually Ben [whose criticism is below] I have two children. Roberta is 10. She was ten months old when I inadvertently brought home the dust from Ground Zero. She was late to talk, walk and needed special services since pre school. In 1st grade I told the teacher there was a problem. "Not now-she is doing fine." the teacher said. She had an 88 average. She had the same average a year later in 2nd grade yet her national test scores nose dived while everyone elses went up. Today she is special ed for reading and my wife and I work with her nightly. She is still an 88-90 average and she has made Honor Roll 3 times legitimately. She will struggle with school her entire life. If the most she can get is a "D" than that is okay. All I ask is that the system gives them both of them a chance to be the best they can be.She will never be the high academic achiever that he is and he will never be the phenom athlete that she is. Everybody has different talents. I am adverse to "Everyone wins" in my daughters case. I don't want grade inflation-unless the teachers can do it through Harvard. Seriously speaking, both of my children know how to think on their own and that is something the schools have not taught them.
If I sound like an elitist, let me clarify some things. I was adopted at birth by an Irish American family from Brooklyn, NY. My adopted father was 46 when I was born. He was a Chief Petty Officer in WWII (at Pearl Harbor) and was a Sergeant, NYPD. He had only a high school education (Valedictorian) since he went into the Navy during the height of the Depression after graduating high school. My adopted mother came from a poor family of 12 children in Red Hook Brooklyn.
Several years before I was born and adopted she had a series of manic depressive episodes. She was in and out of psychiatric hospitals during my youth and later years. My father and grandmother, who was born in 1897, raised me with simple Depression era values. I worked 50 hrs a week at a deli since I was 12. I bought my own cars, homes, and paid for both my graduate degrees. They instilled a love for learning and a desire to be the best you could be in me. They also told me to laugh at myself and not to take myself so seriously.