"Behave yourself!" This cliché is so commonly used that most don't actually examine it. From the moment we wake until the instant we fall asleep, we all 'behave' - all the time. What constitutes good or bad behaviour is entirely a matter of personal judgement.
John Holt analyses, in one of his insightful books, the issue of authority/discipline/behaviour. I say issue because all three are aspects of the same thing. He divided authority into 3 distinct types:
1. Natural: When young, most children will try to fly, by jumping off a low wall or roof. When a cut knee is the only result, they realise that we have our limitations, that nature won't let us fly like birds. There is no option but to accept such authority.
2. Social: Again, when young, children will, at some point, be taken to a theatre, or cinema or concert. If they start talking, the audience will soon tell them to be quiet or leave. So they understand that they should not behave like that, that doing as you wish also means not disturbing or harming others, especially if they are in the majority. This is not mindless conformity, but a necessary social discipline.
3. Status: This type of authority is the 'might is right' kind, i.e. "I'm bigger and stronger than you, so do as I say or face punishment!" Unfortunately, this is the most common type of authority, powerful status being the driver, especially in schools and homes. In other words, tyranny!
The smokescreen that hides this last type of authority is encapsulated perfectly by a sign in a farmer's field:
IT IS FORBIDDEN TO THROW STONES AT THIS NOTICE
"What constitutes good or bad behaviour is entirely a matter of personal judgement." Eh?
ReplyDeleteWe behave how we do, and others judge whether it is good or bad. I hope that my behaviour on the top of a revered mountain would be more circumspect than that of the young women so much in the news recently. The way she behaved may have seemed all right to her, but it was judged not to be so by others.
When I said 'a matter of personal judgement' I meant by others, not oneself, e.g. it's not for me to say I'm hospitable or offensive, but others. I was not clear enough in my comment, obviously.
DeleteI can't understand what you mean about quotes, since there are none in my post of 14/6. Besides, one can either agree or disagree with a quotation. If GBS said something that I have never put better, then he's worth quoting.
My remark about quotes was in relation to your piece written on the 7th June. Indeed, I think it appears below it.
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