Where Have You Gone, George Washington?
When Simon & Garfunkel sang “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?” in 1968, they were lamenting the absence of true heroes. Of course, what perhaps said even more about society was that they weren’t singing “Where have you gone, George Washington?” (one too few syllables for the tune, I know).
From before the creation of the stories of Odysseus, Hector, and Jason, civilizations have had their heroes. They need them. This isn’t just because we like exciting entertainment or campfire tales, titillating diversions though they may be, but for an all-important reason that, it seems, has been largely forgotten.
“As the twig is bent, so grows the tree,” “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it,” “Give me a child until he is seven, and I will show you the man.” These and many other sayings speak of a simple truth: As Danish psychologist Dr. Nicolai Sennels said when analyzing the “psychology of Muslims,” what is ingrained into someone during formative years can be almost impossible to overcome. A person is as clay, starting out malleable and easily moldable, but hardening with age until his form is set.
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