JT and I got up early this morning and we headed out for a bike ride along the North Highland bike trail. We heard lots of birds, saw plenty of bunnies, and even saw a deer as we rode. We stopped to see the place where the Pilgrims first found water in the New World. JT is interested in history (which is enormously gratifying to his history teacher Mama) but he takes a 6-year-old's approach and he always wants to know who was good and who was bad, who was right and who was wrong. His most enduring trait is to assume that people will be a good and kind to one another (even as he finds this a challenge in his own human relations!).
So his first question when he saw the spring was to ask if the Pilgrims shared their water with the Indians. He knows all about the story of the first Thanksgiving and in his innocence, he assumes the story is true. I hate to shatter his illusions but, at the same time, it's not really fair to allow him to think that the world is one where Indians have had an easy time.
We got back on the bike and I tried to navigate JT through early-American history and the sometimes harsh realities for the native tribes who lived here. He asked a lot of questions and I did my best to provide the answers. As a mama who daily instructs her child to treat others as he would wish to be treated, it's sometimes hard to explain why other people don't abide by this rule.
As we rode back to the campsite for some breakfast and to prepare for the planned water fight with our camping neighbors, I realized what he and I must do every day. We have to take on the world and its many uncertainties as best as we can. We have to try to understand what's gone wrong and how we can make it better. And above all we must be guided by the Golden Rule.
Our morning discussion reminded me again that it's not always easy to do the right thing.
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