Shield and Strength: The Power of Love, Part 2 (Glen Allport)

Glen Allport on why love and freedom, especially in early childhood (and including in the womb and in childbirth), are essential in improving the human condition:

"It would seem that given a good start in life, almost any kind of stress can be withstood later on."

   — Arthur Janov, The Feeling Child, 1973, p. 144

Strength and Warmth, Amidst Devastation and Pain

Occasionally the power of early love, in particular, shines through in breathtaking fashion. I was moved to begin Part One of this column several months ago after watching God Grew Tired of Us (see also here for the film's official website, with trailer). The Rottentomatoes review page for the film includes this in its summary of the story:

"In the late 1980s, 27,000 Sudanese 'lost boys' – some just toddlers – marched barefoot over thousands of miles of barren desert, seeking safe haven from the brutal civil war raging in their homeland. Half died from bombing raids and starvation..."

Pause a moment, please, to consider what you just read. Imagine a government intentionally bombing a huge group of starving, displaced children – after having murdered their parents and driven the children out into the wilderness. This horror in the Sudan did not end in the 1980s; see here and here for more recent examples. Furthermore, mass murder, accomplished in a variety of ways, is a shockingly common activity for governments. My columns focus on love and freedom in part because a widespread increase in those qualities is the only antidote to such State-enabled orgies of hatred and violence. In addition, love and freedom provide the necessary foundation for positive, healthy life generally.

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