On Taking No for an Answer and the Bombings

There was a time when I would often hear both my mother and father say: "Take 'no' for an answer." They didn't have to go through a lot of psychology or sociology or to comply and be obedient themselves to their little totalitaritan tot's wishes. No, they just took this stock response (fathers and mothers in those days had this phrase down)and asserted itself with all the authority of authoritarian rule. Another phrase that made the circuits was: "Over my dead body"---which incidentally had certain precarious implications---which most children---even the dullest---could understand. Yes, a kid growing up had to come to grips with parents who didn't read the latest Parenting Magazine or peruse the latest psychological journals, but were allowed to declare a discipline that didn't need a sanction from the State or a court ruling to be valid. Consequences other than the dreaded 'time-out' were possible.

I hadn't thought of these phrases for some time. Not until I heard of priests at the tragedy of the Marathon bombings being barred from going to the victims to give last rites. How I hope in the future should such occasions again occur that we all have these phrases ready on our tongues and act on them regardless of the force wishing to keep us from this higher duty.