Me Struggling to Explain the Future to My Five-Year-Old
Or, As Spinoza said, politics are a necessary evil
As of late, I’m terrified that the five-year-old will ask me about death. Death is still an abstraction with no finite consequences; as in, there was a heat wave that killed the kale, but we watered it and now it’s doing okay, or it would be except for the rabbit.
Or, “I killed you, and now you’re dead so you have to fall down with your eyes closed,” as dictated by the pint-sized knight with the foam sword and shield.
Or, “That french toast is dead, Mom, you killed it, but I’ll still eat it.”
And then the dreaded moment. We walked through the park and the five-year-old spotted an elderly gentleman on a park bench reading the New York Times.
“Is he dead?” the child demanded.
It took a moment to fathom that he wasn’t referring to the older man on the bench holding the newspaper, who was clearly not dead, but to the giant image on the front page – the photograph of President Biden.
How does one answer this question?
Pragmatically? As in: No, he’s not dead. The photograph is of a man, our President, standing up on his own two legs with his eyes wide open.
Politically? As in: We’ll see, sweetie. That’s something that only the next days, weeks, and months will tell. He’s claiming his recent appearance on the national, nay, global stage was but a bad episode, but that’s become a euphemism for disaster amongst Democrats and source of ecstasy for Republicans, so whether or not he’s actually dead politically is being played out in real-time, though the polls don’t look good.
But then I’d have to explain the meaning of euphemism, polling, and the U.S. electoral system and that was more than I could bear on a 92-degree day at the playground.
Theologically? As in: Joe said he’s open to a meeting with the Lord Almighty, but his staffers are so worried about him forgetting himself and wandering off with the Almighty never to be seen again that they’ve instead booked him an appearance in Pennsylvania.
The larger issue is, does one explain to a child that this election holds nothing less in the balance than the tenets of democracy and self-governance, reproductive rights for women, gun control, madmen toying with nuclear weapons, the winds of pollution that know no borders, racial discrimination and racial gerrymandering?
To name just a few.
This is not a part of the parenting playbook. I’d go even further and say every issue at stake goes against the promise that we’ve made to our children; that they will be safe, cared for, educated, that the air will not burn, that the oceans will not rise and that their rights and opportunities will be protected.
I am afraid the kids are not alright. Who’s up for ice cream?
...we should run a baby for president...no chance they can do worse than these two diaper wearing old dudes...
Beautifully stated!