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Children,CommonGood,andSociety
35
bytheirnearestanddearest.”15Whatismore,inthelightofthetestcrite-
rionmentionedabove(theacceptanceandcareofachildbeingatestof
agoodsociety),societiesshouldnotjustvaluetheworkofparentsforthe
theirjobofbringingupthesocializedindividuals.Itshouldalsonotice
thatthroughaccomplishingthistasktheparentsembodyinitsfullestthe
generalgoalofthehumansociety
,namelytheday-to-daypracticalrealiza-
tionoftheopennessandeventhelovingattitudetowardspersonsembed-
dedintheweboftightandwarmrelations.
Theessenceofthisattitudecanbenoticedsincetheearlybeginningof
theexperienceofchildrenintheirmothers’wombs.Letmequoteagain
fromJohnPaulII:“Amotherwelcomesandcarriesinherselfanother
humanbeing,enablingittogrowinsideher,givingitroom,respectingit
initsotherness.Womenfirstlearnandthenteachothersthathumanrela-
tionsareauthenticiftheyareopentoacceptingtheotherperson:aper-
sonwhoisrecognizedandlovedbecauseofthedignitywhichcomesfrom
beingapersonandnotfromotherconsiderations,suchasusefulness,
strength,intelligence,beautyorhealth.”
16
Aparadigmofsocialaccept-
anceofahumanbeingisinthewoman’sacceptanceofherchildevident
inthephysical,bodilyrelationbetweenamotherandherchild.
Man’sparticipationinthecreationofanewhumanbeingdoesnot
involvehisbodyasmuchasitinvolvesthebodyofawoman.Thewoman
acceptsthesexualactaswellasitsfruitinsideherbody
,soheropen-
nesstothenewhumanbeing(boththemanandthechild)isliteraland
expressedbodily
.Whatismore,thechildisbeingaccepteduncondition-
allyasheorsheiscompletelyunknownasconcernshisorherqualities.
Thoughthefathershouldalsoacceptthechildthisway
,yethedoesnot
literallymakespaceforthechildinhisbody
,sothemother’sacceptance
doesseemtoconstitutetheliteralparadigmoftotalreceptivityandinclu-
sion.Nowonderthenwhyitisthemotherwhoinasenseteachesthe
manhowtofulfilhispaternalrole.Furthermore,itcanbeclaimedthat
bothparentscanthroughthisprocessofparentingteachtherestofsoci-
etyhowtotreateachnewhumanbeingandallhumanbeingsforthat
matter,too.Merehumanityinapersonisthusrecognizedtobeworthy
ofsocialacceptance,respect,andcare.
Moreover,theparentalacceptanceofachild,physicallyembodiedin
theearlymaternalexperienceofpregnancy
,providesaperfectsolutionof
theimaginedliberalproblemoftheassumedpossibleconflictbetween
freedomofthemotherandfreedomofthechild,andanequallystrongly
assumedconflictbetweenfreedomandlove.Theconflictualmodelenvi-
15M.A.GleNdoN:“FeminismandtheFamily…,”p.14.
16JoHNPaUlII:Encyclical“Evangeliumvitae,”no.99.
