No, You're Mistaken: Entry #6 The Giver

These people, community members, really, are prisoners. They live in a different world than us; a world of no color or life. They’re trapped by the society. One step out of line and they’re singled out, embarrassed, painfully punished but the reason is obvious: once the community has scared someone enough, they will never even think about doing the wrong thing again. That’s the system. It seems to work. It seems to keep the community sane, but not perfect; no matter how much they try, it’s just not perfect.

            Poor baby Asher, only 3 years old, couldn’t speak right. He said smack instead of snack, he didn’t know any better, probably quite cute, but the caretakers smacked him. They claimed that’s what he wanted; he said it out loud to them. Because Asher was only 3 he did again the next day, to excited to think twice and he was hit again. Soon he stopped talking all together, afraid of what might come out, afraid it would be wrong; 3 years old.

            I suppose they think it’s better that way; to have a fearful child than an uneducated one. Everything they do seems ordinary whether or not it is to me. But they don’t – well - can’t realize the truth and enormity of their situation. They’re hurting someone else to get life the way they want, the way they’ve always dreamed it would be. And their solution: Sameness, no choice, no variety, ethnicity, race, or uniqueness. But it’s been like this “back and back and back” so they know no different, it’s really part of their nature.

            

So than what would happen if their “just right” little world was shattered and they learned the truth; truth about war, hunger, and loneliness.  The errors made children wouldn’t seem so important anymore, they’d finally put things into perspective. But for now they’re cut off from this knowledge, for now they’re killing people, killing their souls and opinions and thoughts, for this ideal world of no mistakes.