It is difficult to imagine that the largest ongoing social experiment on how to thwart natural instincts continues to reap such rich rewards. It is not only a psychologist’s thought-provoking field of study, it is an anthropologist’s most intriguing investigation concerning child rearing customs. The rituals are time-honored and the results are repeatedly enacted. From a scientific perspective, the experiment has proven exact and predictable.
It begins with strict obedience and respect to the clan organization and permeates every aspect of the world in which these inhabitants occupy. It is characterized by an exacting hierarchy. When the young move from the environs of their home, they have with them the tools that will ensure them a good life both here on earth and in the afterlife.
But, in order for the society to thrive, there are a number of human attributes that must be extirpated for the society to survive. The first is the mother-child bond which, in most parts of the globe, is wholly protective of its young. Yet, in this society this bond must be broken. This is done in incremental steps. The child is taught that there are certain groups which, by their very existence, must be subjugated and eventually exterminated. As children are wont to do, they imitate their elders and when they continually hear and see accolades coming to those who engage in violent activity, it follows that this behavior is the road to success within their society. Unending propaganda that encourages such rage-filled hatred “as one would have for urine and excreta,” (Bawer 91) describes the early training that children acquire as they evolve. And lest their mothers try to teach empathy for other human beings, these same mothers take a chance of being brutally punished for their attempts to be humane. Defeat for the protective and life-affirming mother-child bond comes early.
In fact, in this society which can be found in at least 57 of the world’s nations, children are not considered the builders of a nation but rather are expected to sacrifice their bodies and any future dreams in order to carry out the mandates of their religious elders — mothers’ tears notwithstanding.
The next pivotal attribute of this society is the destruction of the inclination for self-preservation. Being primed to be killing machines, by acting as human sacrificial bombs, children are lauded in this society with exuberant celebrations offered after the sacrifice is made. In fact, the family of the martyred child is rewarded with money for this ultimate act. Pictures of their dead child become important artifacts in local museums and exhibits around the world.
The rites involved are revealed to the children during the period when they are being initiated into these mysteries. Thus, their educational mentors (who were properly trained when they were youngsters) will applaud and praise any actions that will lead to suicide and homicide as the highest goal for the children. In fact, the children become so emotionally invested that crying and beating of their chests is a signal that they have learned their lessons well. Take, for example, young men who are proud to amputate their own hands because they might break the law that binds this society and, thereby, dishonor their god. In fact, the society must continue the destruction of its youth in order to exist. It is actually a human piranha-like relationship, so there is a precedent in the animal world for such behavior.