“Normal childhood play, riddled with joys and conflicts as it always has been, ‘educates’ at a profound level. The secret is not to deprive a child of his sword but to make the sword with him and teach him a code of honor. In other words, chivalry. Responsibility. Character. Justice. It is a distinctly modern prejudice that holds that a boy with a sword will probably run it through his little sister. The truth of the matter is, most boys, unless they are mentally disturbed, quickly learn that it is far more heroic, exciting, and rewarding to protect a little sister with that very sword by chasing off dragons and bullies.”
– Michael O’Brien, A Landscape with Dragons (p. 36-37)
Advertisements
One thought on “O’Brien: Teach Him a Code of Honor”