I saw this child during a recent trip to China having fun engaging in stroller-by “shootings” on a crowded city street, and this song popped into my head.  

Parents buy toy guns for their children, mainly sons, in many countries because violence, even faux violence, is part and parcel of masculine identity in many cultures.  This could easily be a scene in the US, Viet Nam, or any number of other countries.  

Needless to say, the world desperately needs fewer weapons, even the harmless ones made of plastic, less violence, even of the pretend variety, and more compassion, caring, and peace.  It all starts in early childhood.  

Shalom (שלום), MAA

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Down by the Riverside