Excerpt:
“The definition of parents is two
people who unite the egg of the female with the sperm of a male, resulting in
the conception of a child. That is the easy part and even the fun part. And
yes, there are other methods for becoming parents, so include everything you
want. From the time the baby is united with his or her parents, those people
become the child’s caretakers. Their most important job is to look after every
one of the child’s needs until the child can take care of those needs
themselves. “At birth, life begins, you are introduced into a family, and in
that family, you become, almost instantly, an integral part, and you function
in such a way that your mere existence makes the family different. The family,
again almost instantly, behaves likewise except that some of the family are
there to be your primary caregivers. Their job is different than any siblings
you may have. Your primary caregivers are united in ensuring your survival and
your existence go smoothly, and soon it seems like this is how it has always
been. After a while, it is hard to remember a time when life was different. “As
you grow, your personality grows, your individuality comes forth more and more,
and your intelligence shows in ways unique to you. For reasons not really known
or understood by anyone, you behave in ways that are unique to you. You make
decisions based on nebulous ideas and feelings that come from where? “You are
bathed and dressed, your diapers are changed, you are fed regularly, the dog
and cat are watched more closely for fear they might inadvertently hurt you,
and you, the most dependent human in the home, are cared for and looked after
by everyone there, including the dog but probably not the cat. “The model for
how to raise a child has been in place for a long time now. It’s true that
there has been some tweaking here and there, but basically, the model is there
for all to see. Each of us experienced being raised, so we have that personal
information as well. “The system for education was agreed on a long time ago,
and the books were decided on and published also a long time ago. Our
neighbourhoods were drawn and built, the roads in and out were planned and
built, the shopping centres and schools were planned and built, as was the
infrastructure. Everyone complied; everyone accepted this new life as if it was
a natural progression. “Children become who they are. It is true, of course,
that their sphere of influence will affect them, and that sphere of influence
may not be understood as deeply as it should be understood. An example of this
sphere of influence, and perhaps the part that is not deeply understood, is
your parents’ parents were born and raised in a time where none of today’s
technology, high rises, freeways, space stations, cell phones and so much more
even existed. There was no internet, there was no Siri, and there were no email
or phones people could carry in their pockets. For decades, there was no way to
leave a voice message, so one would have to phone the person back. Sometimes,
when one could leave a voice message, it would be hours and probably the next
day before the phone call was returned. Cars were different, the world was less
crowded, and it many places there wasn’t overcrowding at all. Fast food was
beginning to become popular and, in some places, girls would take your order
and bring your food to your car while wearing roller skates. There were
drive-in movies, and kids walked to school without their parents worrying that
anything bad might happen to them.
Quote
“The tie-in is coming. My
lectures, the one today and possibly others in the future, are designed to take
you all deeper into your writing than perhaps you have been previously. I am
not interested in reading superficial writing, or immature writing, and I am
not interested in writing that is not from the heart or from a part of the mind
that has thought about it. So, we’re going to travel down a timeline, establish
where we are, how we got here, and then I am going to choose a subject or topic
to write about, and you’re going to write about that topic.”
#2
“The purpose of the conflicts was
dominance. It’s as simple as that. Corporal punishment is about dominance.
Domestic abuse is about dominance. War is about dominance. Some people use
their intellect to dominate others while some people use their intellect to
educate others. Probably the same could be said about corporal punishment and
war too. Certainly, Germany was given a pretty major attitude adjustment by
losing World War II, as was Japan, and while a lot of people despise corporal
punishment, there is a large segment that believes it still serves a purpose.
But we can discuss that later. “For now, though, the theme is on intellect, the
sphere of influence in our lives and the how and why of self-improvement.”
Review
“Who are we now? What am I supposed to be doing?”
The opening questions during a creative writing class left Jonathan’s students
at a loss. Me included.
The first class was occupied by his lecture about
life, people and where we derived from, and the students were nothing wiser
about how it linked with creative writing. This went on for several chapters
and set the premises of the story line throughout that made for slow reading.
What I appreciate, though, was that each word was
deliberately chosen, which made for compelling reading.
Jonathan’s primary aim was to make his students
stop and think about who they are, where they come from, and where they are
going. He asked the hard questions, and his students could either stay and
listen or flee. That most remained tells us that the students, too, were ready
to explore more than just what the class entailed.
To write from your sphere of influence is the most
freeing experience but also intimidating place you can think of. And by
addressing this, the author has eloquently set the pace of this book.
The questions set in the synopsis took a few
chapters before it surfaced. The reason for my four and not five stars. I felt
that the author could have brought it in quicker into the storyline.
The questionnaire was an interesting opener, “What
if there was a modern-day Moses, and he heard God wanted him to rewrite the Ten
Commandments now? What would they be if they were written today?”
I like Jonathan’s openness about life and himself,
exploring the possibilities of life and his part in it. Even through his own
experiences, you realize early on that this man is older, has a few tricks up
his sleeve, and loves to teach.
In my writing, I always ask what’s the reason I’m
writing this book? What is the purpose and what do I want to say? Only when I
can answer them can I truly write the story. The reason I liked the way the
author implemented the plot and opened the students to greater thoughts.
“Your relationship with god shall be first in your
life.
The relationship with yourself shall be your number
one human relationship.
You shall strive to have the highest moral character.”
These are some of the self-made commandments that are all about me and where I
fit in, and I give them points for attempting this. It helped the students to
look deeper, question their own life and their motives. It also helped them to
finally be true on the paper.
The sexual content was unexpected, and robotic and
I didn’t care about it. No emotion was attached to it and I skipped those
parts. The relationship with Susan felt forced and made little sense.
Jonathan was an open-minded heterosexual man that
loves a good romp in bed. Being in a relationship with a married woman didn’t
bother him. That was his way of life. That he brought into his commandments:
Marriage shall be between consenting adults—an ironic command for someone who
didn’t honor marriage.
But then, given the topic, and the name of the
book, it made sense to bring it in. We are supposed to be consenting adults in
life, not only in relationships, taking responsibility for our lives, and be
truthful of who we are to ourselves. The real reason for the book.
Lynelle Clark’s review
of Consenting Adult | Goodreads
Consenting
Adult - Kindle edition by Skeels, Peter. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks
@ Amazon.com.
Consenting
Adult by Peter Skeels - Reader reviews | Reedsy Discovery
