Selfish or Selfless?- Cade Wood

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     Something that really stuck out to me in this reading was in chapter 11. In chapter 11, Mrs. Wollstonecraft makes the statement, "The affections of children, and weak people, are always selfish; they love their relatives, because they are beloved by them, and not on account of their virtues." I read this and was really just kind of thinking that was a bold statement. I don't necessarily think that I agree with this. I always, there's a chance that I completely misunderstood what it was she was trying to say in this quote, and I am very open to that possibility.
     She makes the claim children and weak people are always selfish, which I don't necessarily agree with. I've had the privilege of going on mission trips with my church throughout the US (sadly I have never had the opportunity to go overseas). Most of the people I come in contact with there were children. They had no family to rely on. They took care of their younger, and some even took care of their older, siblings. They shared everything they owned and everything they would come to have. Every type of food, clothing, and any kind of blankets and things of that nature. One time, I remember passing out food to some children in New Orleans, and one of the girls went back and gave half of it to her little brother. We had more than enough sack lunches to hand out, and we did so, but she still insisted on sharing that one with her brother because that was the only way she knew how to live. I think these kids were some of the most selfless people I have ever come in contact with. They loved each other and looked out for each other. Not only did they look out for each other, but they would look out for the other homeless people around them. 
     Based on their circumstances, I think they had every right to be selfish. In my opinion, if they only ever looked out for themselves and if they hated the world for what they were going through, they wouldn't completely be in the wrong. But they didn't feel that way. They wanted to help each other and care for each other. This is just my opinion, and the first example I could think of when I read this. Again, I'm open to being wrong about my interpretation of what she said and meant. Let me know what you guys think. 


I commented on Caroline's and Madison's posts. 

Comments

Sydney Snow said…
That statement kind of stuck out to me, too. I don't think that children are selfish when you really look at it. There are plenty of children who, like you said, are selfless because thats all they know. But what about the children that have more opportunities? On that matter, I also do not think they're selfish. You see babies and kids who love being round other children their age and even some adults in there family that have nothing significant to really give them. They don't just love them because they are family, they love them because they are hoary and have a good time with that person. Mary also says that children don't love on account of their virtues. Children aren't just born virtuous, they learn that through experience and examples growing up.
October 29, 2019 at 5:29 AM
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