The Missing Expression

"The Week That Was" is a discussion group which I attend.

The Missing Expression

At the last meeting of "The Week That Was" we discussed how we thought the subject of VJ Day should be treated. Most of us agreed that the dropping of the atomic bomb was the right thing to do under the circumstances, and that we were proud to be Americans. I tried to express the idea that there was something missing from our discussion by asking whether a child who listened to us for a few minutes would see us as peace-loving people.
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The Skeptic

The Skeptic


He was 15 years old, in high school, and had participated in the program at school assembly that day. When school let out, he was walking toward the street where his mother was waiting in the car, and a voice called out across the yard, “You did good in assembly today, Frank”. He did not answer. When he got into the car, his mother asked, “Why didn’t you thank that girl who complimented you?” He did not have an answer. It seemed trivial to him. In later years he learned to see all such compliments as honest efforts to affirm and be supportive--not trivial at all.

Over the years, the memory of this experience led to some further self-examination.
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