Importance of life

[Domeo]

I posted this in a new thread as I didn't want to distract from the seriousness of the near miss 'Hit & Run' thread earlier.

My question, in all seriousness, is why is a child's life deemed to be more important than that of an adult. All life is important, not only human, and I don't see that a child's is 'special'.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

do you have kids?

 

[ladyjulian]

We're programmed to think like that, aren't we.

Also, children are defenceless and vulnerable, which does make attacks on them particularly unpleasant.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

We're programmed to think like that, aren't we.

Also, children are defenceless and vulnerable, which does make attacks on them particularly unpleasant.

Yep.

I had a close call with a driver outside a school as I rode into work one morning. I did get the reg no and followed it up with our security folks. I tracked down the driver at work and went to have a chat. I was getting absolutely nowhere with this woman until I said "Would she have done that if it was a kid on a bike?". Finally she stopped to think. So yes in some peoples' minds adults (males?) are fair game but kids are sacrosanct.

 

[zimzum42]

They potentially have more 'life' in front of them?

 

[bonj2]

But adults have more life behind them.
If you'd built a house of cards and it was ten storeys high and someone knocked it over, you'd be more pissed off than if they did it when it was two storeys high.

 

[Intelligenthamster]

Like Domeo, I don't get it either. I think it is dreadful when anyone dies, and don't see why being over the age of about ten suddenly makes it better. An adult who dies may well have kids, and they are then without their parent, which is an awful thing to happen to them- it happened to me.

Another very close family member died of misdiagnosed cancer at age 61 and while some may think, 61, not a bad age, we were all devastated as she was such a lovely lady and should have had many more years with us.

As for the kid thing, the media always love to big it up if it's a cute child though, and I'm always slightly cynical about the inevitable "They were so lovely and had so many friends" comment by their headteacher- it never seems to be the out of control class brat or the sad kid nobody liked!

 

[simoncc]

The rule doesn't always apply. Remember all those people acting very strangely when Princess Di, a woman most of them never knew and had never met died. Princess Di was 37. Even when the popular press and TV whip up sentiment about dead children we never see anything remotely like the behaviour we saw then.

 

[Melvil]

Or Churchill, and he was in his 90's!

 

[Melvil]

But, I think the thing is potential, isn't it? If some ordinary joe in their 40's dies the media will look at what they've done and probably devote little time to them. However, with a child, the possibility exists that they will go on to great things and affect many peoples lives...it's that possibility, surely, that stirs people up.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

No it's the wired in psychological aaaaww factor. Same as one gets with lambs and baby anythings. Big doey eyes are there for a reason.

 

[Domeo]

do you have kids?

Yes, I have a baby daughter.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I think it's part of our natural make up to protect our kids...call it instinct or whatever. All life is important and valued, it's just that an innocent child (infant) is 100% dependant on the natural insticnt/programming of adults to protect it.

 

[Cab]

Rationally, I take the point that all other things being equal there isn't any reason to value a childs life more highly than that of an adult. The human being isn't a rational animal though, and our culture doesn't value all people equally.

 

[Yorkshireman]

As others have said, it's a practically whole life (yet to be lived) that's wasted ... on the other hand if an old codger like me 'gets it' ... well, I've lived most of my life and have very little potential left to offer the community etc.