Think About It

The other day a story went viral - chances are you saw it, but for those that may not have read it, here is a link to a follow-up story.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julia-wykes/the-disturbing-trend-i-noticed-when-my-breastfeeding-story-went-viral_b_5551589.html


Take a moment to read the story.  Don't worry, I'll wait :)
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Okay, I assume you've read the story, or already knew about it.  I'm writing this blog because I feel that I should voice my thoughts on this incident.

First, to the barista of that Starbucks, my thanks go out to you.  To the mother, my deepest thanks and respect to you for having the strength to stand proud against the backlashing you received from this incident.

Of course there are those out there who for one or more reasons find that seeing a mother breastfeeding in public offensive, disgusting, and not something they want to see.  There are those that fully support the practice as well.  I count myself among the second group, personally.

In the center of this story, we had an infant who was hungry.  That is the most important issue here.  An infant that needed to be nourished/fed, however you want to describe it.  Surrounding that infant, there was a woman (and possibly others in the store) who was disgusted at seeing the infant's mother breastfeeding him and wanted her to leave, go somewhere else, cover up... do SOMETHING so she didn't have to see it.

And that is the point of this blog.  For you Trekkie fans (and even if you're not a fan you've probably heard this famous line) remember Spock's line in Wrath of Khan?

'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.  Or the one.'

I'm altering that line slightly for this situation.  On one end, we have an infant that needs to be fed.  On the other, we have people that don't want to see the mother breastfeeding in public.  Infant needs, peoples' wants.  Needs and wants.

'The need of the one outweighs the wants of the few.  Or the many.'

We all have wants, and we all have needs.  We want material things, money, etc etc.  We need the basics:  food, water, air, clothing... you get the idea.

To the mother who put her child's needs above someone else's wants, you have my thanks, my respect, and my best wishes.

I hope the next time this kind of thing takes place, that there will be a pause, and that someone who doesn't want to see a mother breastfeeding her child in public for one reason or another will realize that the needs of the child outweigh their feelings of not wanting to see it.  Think about it.