West High School - Shaheen Yearbook (Davenport, IA)

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A Gue I in the ouse by Dianne Lundvall Marriage partners are to serve each other. Elevate, help, teach, strengthen each other, but above all, serve. Raise their children honorably, lovingly, and with detachment. A child is a guest in the house, to be loved and respected-never possessed, since he belongs to God. From these words of the Vedanta, the second of the two orthodox philosophies of Hinduism, a concept of the responsibilities of marriage and parenthood is offered. How many of us will achieve any degree of the above criteria? Within ten years, a majority of students now attending high school will be married and will have children. It has been stated by sociologists that never before has so much conflict occurred within families as the pres- ent situation ofthe generation barrier. Many teens feel admittedly maladjusted, insecure. What kind of marriage partners and parents will they be when the time arises? Hopefully, we will have learned from mis- takes our parents made. Many times, when our parents have hurt us, we have spoken the silent prayer, Please, God, let me never do that to any child of my own. Let me remem- ber. Though the prayer may sound honest, reality seems to have a dilferent tale. We may bitterly denounce our parents, actions and swear never to do the same, but the human mind forgets far too easily. Nothing reveals this more vividly than the experience of a teen babysitting a younger child. It is horribly depressing when a teen girl ignores, ridicules and rejects a younger child and then later echoes a sigh, I love children. I can hardly wait till I'm married and have some of my own. It is difficult to under- stand both what we want to feel and what we do feel. lt sounds so very pretty to say we love children, but if we cannot stand to talk with them for a period of longer than an hour, then our professedlove is a lie. And it seems unfair to blame and criticize our parents for not un- derstanding those twenty years younger than themselves when we can't understand those five years younger than ourselves. How many of us remember? We think problems in a child's world of small conse- quence, a child's tears trivial and exaggerated. We forget. We forget the pain of not being chosen to be on the right team, the wounds resulting from thoughtless, cutting remarks. We turn around and blame our parents, screaming, You don't understand. You donlt even try! We cannot condemn that which we are al- ready beginning to reinforce. Hypocrisy and prejudice are not alien to any particular generation. We have no right to blame our parents if we are not willing and able to im- prove, to do a betterjob. If only we could think in terms of serving those we love, as in the Vedanta, we might find the way to security in the future. Our wistful prayers of wishing to be kinder to our own children is fruitless if we think of chil- dren as something to own. . . . a guest in the house, to be loved and respected-never possessed, since he belongs to God' No human being has the right to own another, but countless persons have found a weird delight in trying to possess another individual emotionally. When the individual happens to be a child, the task is accomplished so much easier. If those who will soon end their formal education will continue to grow attempt to remember, it may be possible that we can build a happier world for our children by adopting an unselhsh attitude of love and respect for something far deeper than we can ever touch.

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Queen Vicki Smith '-n-. QE fig A walk before her subjects, 23 'rm-'

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if ' .Ar ,7 .4-1 or ' eva L t......r -f M W- Stop watches in hands, volunteer swimming officials anxiously await the finish ofthe race. Club Serve West by Carol Hovey Seldom realizing the planning and care be- hind the services performed for them by other students, the members of West High con- tinually enjoy the benefits of the duties of the various service clubs. Swimming assistants are involved in many pool activities. Several girls serve as swimming officials at home swim meets, which involve timing, judging, and scoring the events. The girls also serve as hostesses to the visiting team by serving refreshments. Many students, having successfully completed a senior life saving class, serve as life guards at swimming parties and events sponsored by West clubs and organizations. Students with an interest in the teaching aspect of swimming had an opportunity to try their hand at it after completing the Water Safety Aid course instructed by Mrs. Ruth Johnson. They may volunteer to assist during the swimming unit in physical education classes.