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The Amalgamated Man
Teaching our children the joy of true expression.
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In the article In Search of Personal Expression, we discussed the current trend toward uniformity, and the consequences such sameness can have on our children. This week we continue … |
When a scientist combines mercury with another metal, the two metals are amalgamated to form an alloy – a substance lacking purity. This same process occurs when a person’s individuality is put under pressure and forced to combine with the dictates of a secular society. The result is a personality lacking purity.
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I once saw this transformation consume a young friend of the family. This teen was full of spirit, bright, witty, funny, kind. She could take a group of bored teenagers and inspire them all to have a harmless but memorable escapade. Life simply emanated from her impulsive frame. After she graduated from high school we moved to another state and I did not see her for several years.
When a family event led us back to the area, I met this remarkable young woman again. To my dismay, gone was her animated expression. Gone was every hint of emotion. Gone was the gleam in her eye. Instead, every mannerism was planned, every movement purposely deliberate. Even her conversation was scripted. She had been professionally “polished.” Perhaps “finished” is a better term. Missing from
her private school persona was the light in her eyes. For her light had not only been dimmed, the flame had been extinguished. Whatever school had done to her, she had been amalgamated, for sure, and it broke my heart.
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The truth is that every day we are surrounded by people who have been amalgamated into something they were never meant to be. Life’s pressures can force a melding of spirit and fear. Of spirit and anger. Of spirit and disappointment. Under the pressures and demands of life, we all become amalgamated to some degree.
So the question becomes … are you missing your joy? Are you missing your true gifts and talents? Are you missing that gleam in your eyes? Think about when you were in early elementary school – before the world had a chance to dim your flame. Do
you remember how wonderful it was to be yourself? Perhaps it is time we all joined the ranks of the blissful and re-emerge from our amalgamated form. Perhaps the purity of who we really are will emerge and sweeten the world around us. Free of pressure. Free of conformity. Free to live.
What better way to teach our children the joy of true expression than to eliminate the compromise that accompanies a dictated worldview? Set yourself free. Give yourself permission to be authentic. Give your child permission to stand tall, separate, and magnificent. |
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... as for the pure, his work is right. |
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The Holy Bible, The Old
Testament |
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Proverbs, Chapter 21: Verse 8
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