Monday 1 September 2008

Original sin, illustrated

Two small children are playing in the garden. They are the children of the lady doing some of our washing. As I walk past, I notice that they're both wanting to play with a single push-car. The bigger child is keeping the smaller one off it. Inside the house we have another, so I get it out.

What happens? Yup... now both children abandon the first push-car, and squabble over the second instead!

In what does children's innocence exist? The answer of Augustine of Hippo was that it does not exist in their selfish, unspoilt or unfallen natures... it exists in their limbs not being big and strong enough to carry out all that they'd like to!

No comments: