Ceuti67's Blog

Full disclosure..I am a Christian parent in the province of Ontario and I oppose the new PE curriculum that may be introduced in schools this September.  I steadfastly believe there are elements in the document that do not fit, nor belong in the age inappropriate curriculum and I also believe that parents were circumvented in this process…which is a significant contributor to the degree of rancour we are witnessing.  The concerns and petitions of those of us who oppose are well documented so I won’t use this space to restate what is out there already as a matter of record.

This blog is instead a call to reasonableness…a call to respect, civility, and honest discourse.  Both sides believe they are right…but here is a truth about a free and peaceful society…both sides must find a way to coexist peacefully in a manner which respects differences…and that does not necessarily need to mean agree with one another.  If I could suggest a starting point on how to “turn the page” in this discourse…I will turn it over to the late Mother Teresa who once said “Kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”  For the moment I am going to assume that both sides believe they are doing what is best for kids.  If we start there folks don’t you see the possibility?

“When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love” – The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.  Do you see our problem?  Both sides are assuming the other one as evil and themselves as the good.  If we believe that education can be an agent of good in our society…shouldn’t part of that good be to educate our children to understand that differences do exist…in many and myriad forms.  The channel today is painting the debate in very stark extremes…you know what I’m talking about…a few examples of today’s destructive and poisoned narrative:

– Sex Ed advocates are deviants waiting to prey on your children

– Conservative Christian opposition is homophobic and want to turn back the clock

– Government refuses to Listen to Politically hijacked opposition to its Curriculum

– Curriculum is just another part of the LGBTQ agenda to Get your Children

Look…I live in the real world and I accept and understand there are many who agree with my perspectives in life, morality and how to live my life.  I also accept that the opposite is true and will never dispute their right to disagree.  I have always taken this statement from William Penn to heart when difficult choices in life have arisen “Right is right, even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.”  I believe this is the situation we are in…on this topic.  While much of the popular, prevailing mainstream opinion urges me to just let it go…I cannot and shall not.  I do not hate those who think differently and I most certainly am not taking my instructions from a political party or political enterprise whose aim is to bring down their opponents in the legislature.

What I seek is to have the continuing freedom to see my child’s school educate my children in a manner that does not systematically act to undermine the teaching my wife and I carry on at home, on questions of faith and morality.  Sex is not a taboo subject that we need to whisper about for fear of embarassment.  It is after all the beautiful mystery of life itself…and is to be enjoyed and celebrated.  Sex however, is not an activity that can be considered in isolation of a moral compass to guide each of us.  When we do that we reduce the value of the person and make sex ONLY an activity, and that my friends is tragic and brings tragic consequences.  

We must teach our children well…we must reach them and answer their questions when they are asking them…not before…and not on an arbitrary schedule as this curriculum prescribes.  Each child is precious.  Each child is unique.  Each child is a canvass that is waiting to be developed.  Please everyone…take a breath, respect each other and let’s allow them to be children for as long as they can.  And to the adults…let’s give them examples that point them to a future so that when they are old they do not depart from the right path.