It's a failure of national vision when you regard children as weapons, and talents as materials you can mine, assay, and fabricate for profit and defense.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the misguided priorities of society that see children as tools for exploitation rather than nurturing their potential.
John Hersey's quote emphasizes the tragic failure of societal values when children are viewed merely as instruments for gain or instruments of power, rather than as individuals with unique potentials that need to be nurtured. By comparing children to weapons and talents to materials, it criticizes systems that prioritize profit and defense over the holistic development of future generations, urging a shift in perspective that recognizes the intrinsic worth of every child and their capabilities.
In practice
In a speech about educational reform, one might quote this to highlight the importance of prioritizing child development over profit.
Do not work primarily for money; do your duty to patients first and let the money follow; our life is short, we don't live twice; the whirlwind will pick up the leaves and spin them, but then it will drop them and they will form a pile.
To be a writer is to throw away a great deal, not to be satisfied, to type again, and then again and once more, and over and over.
The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it not have material and spiritual evil as its consequences which far exceed whatever good might result? When will our moralists give us an answer to this question?
Journalism allows its readers to witness history; fiction gives its readers an opportunity to live it.
Life must be kept up at a great rate in order to absorb any considerable amount of learning.
A workshop is a way of renting an audience, and making sure you're communicating what you think you're communicating. It's so easy as a young writer to think you're been very clear when in fact you haven't.
I do not recall a Jewish home without a book on the table.
In my situation, every time I write a sentence, I'm thinking not only of the people I ended up in college with but my siblings, my family, my school friends, the people from my neighborhood. I've come to realize that this is an advantage, really: it keeps you on your toes.
I like that there are young people being given opportunities to explore and learn and grow and become themselves with a path that is associated with my mother. She would have liked that very much.
Do not be embarrassed by your mistakes. Nothing can teach us better than our understanding of them. This is one of the best ways of self-education.
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