In the Stone Age, parents taught their children to avoid irritating saber-toothed tigers. Like all cats, they probably had a low tolerance for frustration. And adults taught the kids to avoid going into caves where cave bears might be snoozing. Bears tend to resent being disturbed unexpectedly. It’s just not healthy. If adults had not educated their offspring to avoid such mortal dangers, the human species would not have survived, and we would not be here today.
If prehistoric adults had not taught young people these lessons, the young people would have been eaten by saber-toothed tigers and cave bears. But the negligent adults would have killed them.
In modern times, parents and other adults have similar responsibilities:

● They should teach kids to act politely in order to be treated politely.

● They should teach kids to smile in order to be greeted with a smile.

● They should teach kids to avoid starting fights with people who carry guns – whether the people are police officers like Darren Wilson, legally armed civilians like George Zimmerman, or gang-bangers. It’s just not healthy.

● They should teach kids not to go around looking for trouble. Trouble finds us soon enough without our seeking it.

● They should teach kids not to think of themselves as perpetual victims. Thinking of ourselves as victims is an easy way to justify cruel and obnoxious behavior towards persons who have done us no harm. There is nothing that predisposes to unhappiness, bitterness, and antisocial behavior as much as thinking of ourselves as victims.

Trayvon Martin was shot by George Zimmerman. But he was killed by the adults who led him to believe that if he felt disrespected, he was entitled to break a man’s nose, then repeatedly bash the man’s head against a concrete walkway.
Michael Brown was shot by Officer Wilson. But he was killed by the adults who led him to believe that he was entitled to steal a box of cigars, then grab the short, skinny Arab shopkeeper by the throat and shove him out of the way. And then he was entitled to punch a police officer in the face and attempt to grab his pistol.
It’s just not healthy.
Military personnel aren’t the only ones who need survival training. So do all young people. Otherwise, they are likely to wind up in juvenile hall, prison, or the morgue, as they unthinkingly turn a normal encounter into an angry, bitter, even lethal confrontation.

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