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learning to share

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Tokyo, 2010.01.04

One of The Boy's teachers told us a tale, tonight. He is learning to share.

The Boy had two blocks, a red one and an yellow one. Perhaps trying to re-enact the scene from him book paints where they make orange. But his good friend Takumi-kun, who had no blocks, came to him and looked at The Boy with his two blocks. The boy clearly wanted a block, but didn't say anything.

The teacher encouraged Takumi-kun to ask to borrow a block, and the boy did so. The Boy looked down at his blocks for a long moment, then handed one over.

A good day at the day care. Certainly an improvement over the morning, when I accidentally prevented a small child from getting to her father.

Little Noah-chan was trying to leave The Boy's classroom and I stopped her thinking that she was just wandering out. But she persisted, and tried to deke around me. But The Boy's trained me well, and I managed to block her. Then a man in the hallway called her name, and she raced over to him. Whoops.

rand()m quote

Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

Hermann Goering