Sunday, September 24, 2006

Handles and Humans

The Japanese author, Kosuke Koyama, once addressed a gathering in New Zealand.

He remarked that most things—car doors, coffee mugs and lunch boxes—all have handles.

Koyama then got a child to come to the front and he asked the child, “Where’s your handle?” Taking the child’s arm he asked, “Is this your handle?” Pointing to the child’s nose he said, “Is this your handle?”

After a humorous examination with the child they both arrived at the conclusion that “Children don’t have handles. Human beings are not made with handles.”

Only things have handles. Handles are there so we can use things. Children are not things. Humans are not things. Human beings are not to be used like things.

Geoff Pound

Source: Thanks June!

Image: Child without a handle