Articles Book III - Pg 300-560 (Birthparents) - triadoption

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cvalctl 11s our strcicty is to ~III
ily, wc linvc ~ll;~rlc it lnorc n~itl
idcnlizctl piclurc ol lllc ~;IIII-
rr~orc difficult for lnr~rilics to sur\.ivc rrs
i~~ti~ct, i11ti111;11c ~III~~S. FIIIII~I~ i~irngery
li[:~~rcs i~~~porln~~tly ~II otlr socii~l ;III(I
~iolilic:~l syn~hols nntl slogir~~s. pert~~c;rlcs
0111 most dccply molc~l ;~spir;~tions,
fcnrs. rcscntlrlcnls, i111d Iro~)cs.
nnd runs likc n rich currcllt it1 illid
llrrougl~ Arncricnn fiction. Uul \c8c l~i~vc
n~ndc it allnost irnpossiblc for ln~rlilics
to llourisll.
JEAN U~I'III~E ELSII'I'AIN
Our despcratc cli~rging to fir~~iilii~l
idcnls 118s bccon~c ;I kind ol lr1lis1i1n1in
tlclcnsc ngninst our lorcbc~dings tI1nt
almost total disintcgr;~tion olllrc fi~liric
of I~u~trnn tics nrrd i11ti111atc rclntio~rshipsn~ny
be tllc finill outcon~c oltlrosc
prcssurcs tlrnt frngmc~rt, split. n~\d
dividc con~~nu~litics. tlrnl sc~lrl ft~~rrily
~rrcnibcrs in ;dl directions. trroslly in
scarcl~ of jobs and security or sinljilc
s~~rvivnl, thnt projccl ln~nily 1llc111lrcrs
into c~notiorinl 1i1ilsl)irls wlricll 1I1rc;rtcn
to inrplodc fnn~ilics fro111 rvitl~in likc so
mirny Chi~~csc lirccrnckcrs going off
onc alter tllc olllcr.
It would bc a scrious crror to locotc
the conlplctc nnd full cxpInn;~lio~r lr)r
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tlrc stntc we arc in. lor tlrnt crisis of lllc Iilrgcr social systc~~~, iirltl so~trc scc tlrc
l;~nrily that has itscll bccomc n co~lslilnl fntlrily as 111crcly pcrfclr~rli~~~ "fu~lclcalurc
olconlcr~~pornry sock~l rcitlity. lic~ns" for tllnl rvidcr rc;llnr ;IS )vcll ;IS
in ccononiic lorccs ntrd corlslr;rir~ts.
Ncvcrtllclcss, tlrc structure or our po-
\vitI~ir~ it. l'l~cy ilrgtrc t11;rt llic 111odcr11
Iarnily Ilns bcco~tlc \vlr;~l it is ill 1);rrt bclitical
ccoliolny is ll~c singlc inost.i~n- cnusc prcvious h~nilicrl f~~~lctio~ls II;I\.c
partntlt fcnttrrc i r ~ :I trnnslorn~:~tiot~ of IICCII rcnssi~ncd clscwlrcrc. 7'lr;rl is. IIIC
An~cricnn fnnrilii~lifc i~rril pnttcrns so typical fi~mily in tllc piisl scrvcd ;IS ;III
rapid it :~n~ounts to nt) unir~lc~~dctl scr- cco~ro~nic unit of its own. ;IS a scl~ocrl, ;I
cia1 r~\~oIt~li~it~. Wc :Ire o111y IOW i~lilc to wclfarc irislilulio~~. ;I liousc of corrccscc
llrc cffccts ol Illis Ir;~rrsforrr~;~lio~~, lion, nnd ;I voc:~~iorr;~l ins~ilulc. Witlr
and just Iicginnir~~.lo cvalualc it wit11 tlrcsc prcvir~us lu~lcticr~rs tliq)crsctl. ;lll
any cli~rity.
tl~nt wi~s left lo llrc fir~rlily, gcrcs tl~c
Tl~c fi~r~iily is n 111livcrsi11 sociirl ilrsli- ~~~(IIIICII~, SV;IS sorr~ctI~i~~[: ~+;tlle~l "ll~c
tulion. Nosr~~icly II:IS yct bcc~~
tliscov- rilrrltrri~nl socii~lizi~tic~~~ nl 1I1c ~IIIIII~."
crcd in wl~icll n firrnili:~l lor111 did ~iot
cmist. In socicrics bcyotltl lllc nlost sin\-
Fnn~ilics.bccu~~~c p~i~lr~lrily crtroliorri~l
or r~ffcctivc irlstitulio~~s: 'I'lrcy sociillplc,
fl~c fnrnily is OIC fcnlurc within a izcd tl~c ycrtrrrg to t;~kc tlrcir p;~rt in llrc
largcr socicty ns i~tlr~lls.
- - 'rlrcrc is riiucl~ trull~ Irl llris "l1111c-
Jcnr~ Ilcrl~kr. E1.111rni11 is associnrcpto- tin~rnlist" ;II)~IO;IC~I to fl~c soci;rI Irislory
fcssctr of p~tliiical.rc~c~~cr IJ~ 111c U~rivcr- of IIIC f~~rrrily. UII! Ilrcrc is ;I ~>rc)I)lcrr~
siry of hf~sachicrcfr$, Ar~thers~. wit11 it ;IS ~vcll: 'I'lris ~I~~IIII~ICII, \vIricl~
I6 1 MAY 1981
HARD
TIMES
for the
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prc\~i~ils ill ctrli1clrrlitlr;rry st~ciirl scic~rcc
~IC;I~I~ICII~\ of IIIL's~ ~SFIICS. cir11111iIICIII
us to c~rrclcrsl;~r~(l ll~c irr~rr*r tc;~lilics ol
fi~~~rily lifc. lbc trt~il~ice~i i l ~ ~ ~CS~IIICS c l of
Ilrosc IILIIII;III ICI:~I~IIIIC II~ill 111;lkc 1111
lllc 11c:lrl trf llic fil~~ril!.'s cxi\Icncc. So
IIJII~ 11s f:r~r~iIics irrc IOI crea~irig IO
I;IY "tlcvi;r~~ls." itr ~ocicrlugiriil Inn.
~t~agc. tllcv 11rc "doing tlrcir job." Il
tlrcrc arc slrcsscs ;rrtd str;tirrs aillrirl llrc
f~~rr~ily. llic tIrcr;rpc~~lic csl:~lilisl~r~~cnt
exists lo tlc:~l tvitl~ tlrosc. I:ca. ;rc;~tlc~~ric
spcci;rlists irttc1111~10 scc IIIC fn~llily.
first. (111 it$ o~&tl lPr111s. ;IS ;I\'I I)! litr\vcr+
ful socinl rcln~io~~s ~villr tlrcir (ISVI vi1;rI
integrity i ~f~d ITIC~III~II~ to socii~l pnrlici-
~"IIS tl~cnlsclvcs ;i!ld, sccon(l. ns onc
ditrrcnsior~ of n witlcr cor~r~~~u~rity cotlccivcd
11o1 ill ll~~ictitrtinlist tcrlns, hut ns
nn idcnl of ll~c social ;~nd political lifc.
l~crc w;~s ;I 1i111c ill Atiicricn
tvl~cn tl~c li~tilily \\';IS part of n
largcr ~rct\vork of kin tics nntl
cor~~r~run;rl links. Co~r~r~lrrr~itics ;~nd
fi1111ilics wcrc co~t~pc~sctl of intcrgcncratitr,~~:ll
groulii~lps. 'l'hc fai11ily
\V;IS i~~~l~cd~lcil in tlrc cclt~lrlluniry. ycl
cxtcrrtlcd i~scllorc~ i111o llrc wider social
~~ct\vork. l'l~e tvidcr s11cii4 ~rcl\wrrk. it.
scll in p;lrt ;III cstc~lsio~l ol tllc fir~nily.
itlso pcrtncnlctl c:lclr i;c~rrily's in~lcr
tvorkirrgs by Ilclpi~~g to givc scllrcli;r~~cc
and sclf-rcslicct ;III~ 10 scrvc
tlic cnlotionol ;IS tvcll ;IS 111c pl~yric;~l
needs ol a lnrr~ily's clriltlrcn. 1:nrrlily
nrctr~l)crs. lor tl~c 111os1):rrl. \vcrc born
illto. grcw up, lived, worked. :\lid dicd
witlrirr tllcir co~~l~~lutii~ic~. Jahs wcrc
rrtcrsr often in or ircilr irort~cs ;rnd rrcigll-
I)orlroods, tl~ot~pll cvc~~ l)cfo~c World
Wnr II ~lc~~iogr;~lillic slrills :III~
cco~~onlic disIoc:~ti~~~~s tvcrc IIC~~IIII~II~:
lo 11rc:lk up Illis lr;~tlilio~ral irrrtl sanlcwlr;~~
itlcnlizctl li;~llcr~~.
\\'Iriitcvcr rc~r~iri~~c(I trf tlrc old ivi~y
wi~slr:rtrcrcd 11). rlrc u.;rr nrrd its irllcrn
\Vnr irldus~rics c;lllc~l n~illio~ls
in111 tlrc cilics. hlcr~, \~ ICI, n11(1
!vliolc l11111i1ics 1111ivcd i11Io II~~);III cell-
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