From American Corespondent Larry Wohlgemuth…

You’ve seen the woman in the black SUV, busily chatting on her cell phone while her children watch DVDs of Sesame Street in the backseat. Believing herself too busy to chat with her children, she’s allowed them to be raised by small plastic discs, unaware of the implications.

This generation committed to earning ever larger sums of money couldn’t be bothered with such mundane tasks as speaking with their children. Instead that was relegated to DVD players and video games, and in extreme circumstances psychiatric medications.

Do you think these people ever considered how their children would turn out as they busily fattened their bank accounts? Whether they did or not, they now have a generation of children unlike anything ever seen before.

It begs the question, what is a Sesame Street Revolutionary warrior?

The hippies, my generation, came from a vastly different dynamic than today’s Sesame Street warriors. In the 60s we still lived a “traditional” family life, with dad working and mom staying home to raise the children. Consequently, even though we rejected our parents values, we had at least been exposed to them.

Today’s revolutionaries, at least those not sorely affected by some sort of psychotropic concoction, are relatively free of any ambivalence. Their parents had precious little input into developing their fertile young minds, and their children subscribe to the gospel according to Elmo. Our parents could talk shit on Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman, but what can these parents possibly say that would turn their children against Elmo and Big Bird?

In my day cartoons like Bugs Bunny, Quick Draw McGraw and the Roadrunner were filled with endless scenes of violence and mayhem, albeit cartoon violence. Regardless, our young minds were assimilated into a collective that worships violence, so our response to perceived injustices was also violence. Violence begets violence, so it served its purpose even though we eventually ended the War in Vietnam.

f you’ve never watched Sesame Street or any other of today’s fares for young children, you would be quite surprised at how vastly different they are from El Kabong. While El Kabong might smash you over the head with his guitar, Bert and Ernie talk out their differences and arrive at a mutually satisfying solution. It’s that Wonderland where everybody plays nice, and everybody gets along, which means today’s young people have been raised with an exaggerated sense of fair play.

Recently the right wing has launched an assault on NPR, realizing the generation of warriors that’s been created by the Children’s Television Network. The problem is that train’s already left the station, and there’s nothing they can do about millions of young people whose sense for justice is keen and training in violent resolution to problems is absent.

An object lesson in all this might be the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, where protesters have remained largely nonviolent. While there has been occasional incidents of rock throwing, most of the violence is attributable to government police thugs. Without firing a shot, the young people in Egypt are going to bend the government to their will.

This is made possible by the technology which they so deftly use. Scenes of police beating on protesters are beamed around the world at the speed of light, and the blowback from the international community is almost immediate. I personally have called my representative and senators several times on this matter, and I’m sure many others have as well.

It’s obvious watching Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton comment on events in Egypt that they are far behind the curve. Apparently our techno-president is no match for the protesters who were texting before they even went to school. In this matter, people are getting their information as fast or faster than even the president.

One of the few weapons they have would be to shut down the Internet, however that has associated costs. The international activist group, Anonymous, has made clear its intentions to disrupt business and trade should anyone attempt to interfere with or abridge a free Internet.

As of yet we’ve not seen incursions by Anonymous in Egypt, however that doesn’t mean they lack a presence there. Certainly, should governments attempt a blackout on communications out of Egypt, Anonymous would make its presence felt. Once again, people of that generation reacting without resorting to violence. They will, indeed, be a formidable opponent.

Word is out that governments and political parties have hired public relations firms to go online in an attempt to bully and silence dissent. Their efforts are often ham-handed and transparent, making them easy to spot. It would be easier to sneak a Polish sausage past a pack of hungry dogs than for these online goons to pass as legitimate commentators. They’re out of their league, and it’s a league run by twenty-somethings.

So Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Kermit the Frog, et al, have raised what may be the most daunting band of revolutionaries that world governments have ever faced. Even the anarchists, who are inclined to resort to violence, are similarly invested with this exaggerated sense of right and wrong. Sun Tzu, the legendary Chinese warrior, would nod approvingly at this radical Army that’s been so magnificently built to face exactly this opponent. Wall Street bankers with greasy hair and bloodstained hands will be no match for them.

My friend Dianne Lawson, in her February astrological forecast for 2011, compares today’s planetary alignment with that in 1776. A revolutionary fervor is in the air, and events around the world clearly indicate that to be fact. The revolution is here, and contrary to rumor it appears that it WILL be televised.

This is a formless army of stealth able to adapt to just about any conditions. Rather than fall in behind a singular leader, they’ve chosen instead to align themselves behind certain principles which will carry the movement regardless of who goes missing. A single loss won’t shut them down.

So, all those years you were too busy to talk to your children, you weren’t aware that they were being trained as revolutionaries in your very own backseat. They may be the first generation that’s been raised almost exclusively with the messages of cooperation and justice for all. Because you were so busy trying to make more money, Cookie Monster was teaching your children how to do the right thing.

Try to shut down NPR if you want, but it’s far too late for that. The troops are on the ground, and their numbers grow daily as more of them are exposed to the injustices and brutality of the powers that be. It’s too late for you, so accept your fate and recognize that when your children are done, it will be a far better world.

Think of it, you believed you were so hot and now you’re ready to get your asses kicked by General Elmo, and Colonel Cookie Monster’s getting ready to put one up your ass. All that’s left is for Bert and Ernie to come out publicly and your desecration will be complete. It’s true, everything they needed to know to change the world, they learned in kindergarten.

Photograph by David Anthony Hohol

Ethiopia seems to most often bring to mind poverty and famine, but there is much more to one of only two countries in Africa never to be colonized. Ethiopia, an is a very old country beyond all imaginations, that carried with it deep cultural traditions, some as many as 300 years old. There are over 80 different Ethnic groups and with the strong religious environment, (predominantly Orthodox Christian) celebrations and festivals play a large role in daily life.

Taken outside a small rural village approximately 60 km outside the storied town of Lalibela, the above photograph captures several children at the conclusion of a church service in the middle of the Ethiopian country side. Several of the churches in the area are carved from the stone face sides of mountains and hills.

From Abdulla Abdelsalam Belal…

What do you think is better? A large family?, a small one, or no child at all?

I grew up in a large family. I have 5 brothers and 3 sisters and they are all younger than me. One of my brothers was adopted from an Ethiopia. I’m happy I have so many siblings. Life is never boring in our house, that’s for sure. I have always somebody to talk to and share things with; it’s a nice feeling.  We help each other out with chores or homework, and if I want to play soccer with my friends and we are short of people, I can always count on my siblings to save the day. Of course we fight sometimes, but that’s normal between siblings. The fact is I cannot imagine what life would be like as an only child.

In my country, it’s normal to have a large family because people see children as a gift from God and a blessing. Besides money, what else can make people’s live happy – it’s family of course! But here in the Middle East, just like everywhere else, things change and nothing stays the same. Large families were more common in the old days. The younger generation has fewer children. I think it’s has a lot to do with the high cost of living nowadays. Everything is getting more expensive, so to feed a large family requires more money. Not everybody is rich in our country and many families struggle to make ends meet.

I come from an average middle class family – not rich, not poor. Thank God we have everything we need and everybody is healthy and happy. My parents never would’ve considered having so many children, if they were not able to take care of all of us. The good thing is my brother and sisters learn from each, help each other out and we’re never alone. I will consider having a large family, because I just love the atmosphere in the house. We all have different characters, so everybody reacts differently to certain things… it’s sometimes fun to watch. But I’m just one person from one culture and everybody should decide for themselves whether or not they want to have a big family.

Many people think that if someone decides to have a large family, the parents must be poorly educated or needy. That might be true in some cases but not in our family. My mother always dreamed of having many children, because she grew with only one brother eight years older than her. She always longed for a sister her age to share things or do things with, but she knew that it would never happen. People sometimes can be very prejudice about large families. It’s almost like some people look down on those who have too many kids.

Everybody should live his life the way he or she thinks will be fulfilling for them. If someone thinks he’s better of having no children at all, or he or she want only one or two children, that’s their decision.  I don’t judge people based on the size of their family. I know most people in Europe and America try to keep the size of their family small.

I believe that even one child can also bring happiness, but I would love to have more than that. What else is there in life? It would be fantastic if I was the richest man on the planet, but if I had nobody to share it with, no one to carry on my name, I would be so alone in the end.

I think my mom does a great job every day, raising so many children. She’s always there for all of us. I am lucky and feel blessed to have such loving and caring family. I know there are many children out there who also grew up in large families and who don’t feel the same way I do. I think that maybe they were not so lucky and had a rough time growing up.

Life is too short – everybody needs to feel he or she is being loved or they belong somewhere. It doesn’t matter – a small, medium, large family or having no child at all – people just should go on living their lives and discover what’s right for them.

In the end, life would be pretty boring of we all thought and lived the same way.

From Lama J . . .

Simplicity is the cure for the complications of daily life, pureness the one and only remedy and salvation. It’s not a philosophy or a theory I’m trying to raise, but a question I keep asking myself – is it really strange to be simple? Is it a shame to be pure and spontaneous?

I grew up in a simple house, where I learned how to earn things. I was taught to be proud of being a Palestinian, an Arab, and above else, a Muslim. I always prayed with my parents and fasted during Ramadan every year – today I still do.  I used to visit my uncles and relatives, although part of me didn’t really like doing so. I respected my parents and never argued with them about anything, even if they weren’t convincing. I used to help mom and my sisters in preparing big meals for the family. In fact, we each cooked twice a week and it wasn’t an option to do so, but a duty. I grew up proudly in a very simple and traditional Middle Eastern home. Looking back now, I feel lucky.

On the other hand, I received my education from a private school, where boys and girls were allowed to study with each other. I had posters of Wham and George Michael in my bedroom, loved to listen to pop music and watched Western movies and TV shows.

As I grew up, my dad used to tell us, when you work hard your reward is always big. He also said to work as if there is no one beside you to help. After I finished university, I worked in many places in Amman trying to earn a living and to prove that I could do a lot of things with a small amount of money. Eventually my efforts and education took me to a job Europe and my travels around the world began.   

My dream, all along, was to have a family of my own – kids here and there, playing with them one minute and yelling at them the next. I guess it’s a simple dream. I love kids, and I’m not afraid to say that loudly. I guess I’m a big kid too, as I’ve never wanted to grow up. What could be better than having beautiful angels living with you, watching them grow, learn, and later marry to start families of their own? Kids are a blessing from God. The Holly Quran even says “money and kids are the beauty of our lives.“

I felt the need to write these thoughts, just to make sure that I’m still on the right track, trying to follow what I think to be normal. In the end, I try to keep the balance in my life.

Many sophisticated co-workers and friends of mine from different nationalities and religions often look at me with a big question mark. I guess I’m silly and very old-fashioned about my ideas of having kids and living happily ever after; I guess I’m wasting my precious time cooking; I guess I’m not really enjoying my time because I don’t party a lot. Hmmm… where the hell I have been hiding all these years??

Let me say this loudly, so all can hear – this kind of thinking is not normal!! A friend of mine with no children, who has four cats and calls them her daughters and who always talks about how children would interfere with her lifestyle, is not normal. Sometimes she takes couple of days off because one of the daughters is sick. Don’t get me wrong; I love animals. They’re beautiful and cute, but they are not people.

Another friend of mine told me she doesn’t want kids because she’s afraid that her face will get paralyzed? But How?? Did you ever read about this happening to anyone? I didn’t.

Another is telling me she has her own way of living and kids are just an interruption to this lifestyle. Can’t kids be part of our lifestyle? Another hates the responsibility, but aren’t we are supposed to be responsible? Another thinks that she makes money to enjoy spending it, and not to waste it on kids. Are children a waste of our money?

 I can give endless examples of women I meet in my day-to-day life who simply cannot imagine having children. I’m sure there are more and I’m still interested to meet and to listen to their opinionsl. Most of these fellow women react so strangely every time I show how much I need a child, looking at me in a way that makes me try to hide my feelings towards being a mother. Sometimes they make me feel like I ran away from the Stone Age.

I guess people like being weird these days. Maybe it’s cool to be different, or it’s good to make lots of money and not share it with anybody. Many marriages seem to be now based on emptiness; a need of having something called partner in one’s life, but this partner doesn’t expect much from the other. Every time I feel proud of learning how to cook a new recipe that my husband really liked and want to brag about it. When I do, once again, I made to feel like I’m from the Stone Age.

A friend of mine doesn’t like cooking because she cannot stand washing dishes. Another one orders from a food service to feed the family every day. Some literally have never done anything, but work at their jobs. Many place work as a priority over starting a family of their own and their husbands are not even complaining.

Is this the new generation? Are these the expected future mothers? Are we really convinced that this is the right thing? How far we are willing to go with this way of thinking? Is this a new religion that people want to follow, where we can be more classy and civilized?

I guess we are heading towards the danger zone here; I guess we’re heading towards the nonsense.