Article May 29, 1995 ISSUE

Innocence—man's true heritage

Eva-Maria Hogrefe

He cried bitterly. He had been caught stealing. At the police station, the boy spoke of his childhood: When his mother went to the outdoor market, she balanced a basket on her head and carried him in a pouch on her back. Passing stands piled high with food, she would bend down to look at some items. That's when the little boy picked up whatever he fancied and threw it into the basket. Unaware, his mother paid only for the food she had selected. The child's wrong behavior was not corrected and continued as he grew up. He excused it because he was poor.

When I heard of this incident, I knew how important it was for the boy to acknowledge his wrongdoing and not to repeat it. But I thought, "Didn't his tears speak of his rebellion against dishonesty? Didn't his spiritual innocence call out to be recognized?"

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