Sharon Kennedy: Some birthdays are best forgotten
Everybody likes to be remembered on their birthday. It’s a special day even for the most vile among us. Presents are part of the celebration during our early years, but eventually they go by the wayside. Once we reach a certain age, we’re happy to receive a card or email from our friends and loved ones. It’s nice to know that, despite the passing of years, some folks have fond memories and send us pleasant greetings on our birthday.
Even when people we cared about are no longer with us, we often remember them by posting something on Facebook. However, some birthdays are best forgotten because the world would have been better off if the babe had not survived birth. That’s an awful thing to say, isn’t it? No mother wants to lose the infant she nourished within her womb for nine months.
When a mother holds her baby for the first time, she sees what every woman sees — a helpless little angel who will depend upon her for many years to come. The sad part is no child comes with instructions and a guarantee. That precious infant a mother cradles to her breast doesn’t always grow up to be an adult she will be proud to call her own.
We’re all creatures of our environments whether within the family unit or society at large. We enter this world without any preconceived notions of what our life will be like. If we have parents who treat us with tender affection, we’re off to a good start. If, on the other hand, one parent is loving and kind and the other is harsh and cold towards us, we have a choice. It’s not always an obvious one, especially when we’re too young to be aware of the impact our upbringing will have on us in time to come.
Sometimes our personality is shaped by situations in the home we can’t change or control. The death of a loving mother could be the catalyst that skews an individual’s perspective on the immediate family or society in general. Being rejected by an institution that tells us we lack sufficient talent to be accepted into an art school might be another reason for becoming bitter. Watching our country being divided up and parceled out by nations that blame our homeland for causing a war could be a third factor in turning an unremarkable man into a tyrant. Myriad circumstances affect our outlook on everything from celebrating birthdays to overthrowing an established form of government.
What happens when an individual feels he’s been unfairly treated or ignored and finds a group that welcomes him? What demons propel him to step forward when an opportunity arises that no one else seems willing to grab? What effect does it have on him when the louder he shouts and pounds the podium, the greater applause he receives? When his words are filled with vitriol and he’s praised for saying them, is it any wonder that he’s voted into the highest office in the land?
Would any mother want to see her offspring create a movement that threatened to rain havoc on millions of citizens? Would your mother be proud of you if she knew you were responsible for stirring a pot of hatred for your fellow man. If your mother didn’t care, would your father be pleased you stoked the flames that resulted in the death of democracy and humans considered animals?
Today some twisted people will celebrate the birthday of a man who died 79 years ago. His name was Adolph Hitler, a poster boy for abortion.
— To contact Sharon Kennedy, send her an email at sharonkennedy1947@gmail.com. Kennedy's new book, "View from the SideRoad: A Collection of Upper Peninsula Stories," is available from her or Amazon.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Sharon Kennedy: Some birthdays are best forgotten
