Why am I surprised?

As most of you know, I love gardening. Not. vegetable. gardening.

When you spend many hours a day or a week doing something, anything, you (at least I) begin to derive life lessons from what it is that you do. I know that the head coach of BYU Football, Bronco Mendenhall talks about how football can teach many life lessons. Countless other coaches of other sports have likely said the same thing. Michael Phelps doubtless has learned many of life's lessons in his many hours spent in the pool. I, too, just had an insight, among many, from my love of gardening and countless hours spent keeping up my yard.

I was looking at my roses and noticed that they had aphids on them. D**n those things! Anyway, I went and got out my pesticide (because I've tried the organic route, and it DID NOT work) and began spraying. The whole time I was spraying I was looking for the aphids on the new shoots, because that's where they usually appear. The little critters like the new shoots. The entire time I was spraying I saw them on all of my plants - right where I knew where they would be. Never once did I find any on an old, hardened cane. I'm sure the aphids prefer the new canes because the cane is softer, more tender, and easier to puncture, thus easier to feed off of.



This is when it hit me. I was nearing the end of my treatment of the last of the rose bushes, when I realized something with such clarity that I don't know why I hadn't realized it before. I think it was the word "tender" that set off a light bulb in my mind. Why do the aphids go after the "tender" branches? Because they are easier to damage, and the damage is much more harmful and longer-lasting than if they were to go after the older branches.

Here is the parallel: I watched this video today on a friend's blog:

I couldn't believe that children were being targeted at such a young age about an issue that they cannot possibly deal with yet. These children are "tender." They are young and impressionable. I was shocked and surprised to see that this was happening here in the United States.

But after my experience today in my garden, I don't question why. I know why. Those who want to change the perceptions, views, and beliefs on this issue know exactly what they are doing. They are just like the aphids. They are targeting the young "shoots," because they are "tender," "softer," and more easy to "puncture," and the older "shoots" are much more difficult to perforate. They are targeting the young because the young are the most impressionable. Just as the aphids go after the young branches, these people are going after the young children, who are more easily damaged, and which damage is much more harmful and longer-lasting.

Why am I surprised? I'm not anymore. I'm just sickened.