What are the adults called to do to protect the children?
Children in our tradition are basically spirits – spirits who are coming to test the willingness, generosity, genuineness and openness of the people. They are called the future because no community has ever survived without its children. And so the role of the community is to attend to the children’s needs. They are the truth speakers and will talk about things the community will not address. Our role is to protect that innocence, that spirit that is already full, and not to talk to a child like an empty bag coming to be filled with our junk. That’s why, for instance, instead of standing up when talking to children, we should get down to their level, so we can really listen to and watch what they are trying to communicate. This is a supposedly liberated culture, but we keep private the inner life of our relationships, which you say strangles them in the face of crises. In fact, a marriage is not two people’s business; it is a marriage of the entire community. Back home when you tell so
