The following elements, very positive as far as religious and moral realities as well as the educational relationship are concerned, should be added to what we have mentioned, namely, sensitivity, affectivity and heart. These make an irreplaceable contribution to the perception of the ugliness of sin and the preciousness of virtue.758

Finally, the fragility which the young demonstrate is linked by Don Bosco not only with their age and

environment but also with the reality of original sin. Original sin has wounded the faculties of

understanding and will; the y have become disoriented, obstructed, messed up by the passions which

have grown stronger. This is how Don Bosco describes the consequences of original sin, in his book An easy way to learn Bible History: “The consequences of original sin happen to be all the miseries of our soul and body”. “The miseries of the soul are: ignorance, concupiscence, being shut out of heaven”; "Ignorance consists in man's not being able to know his destiny and his duties without the help of Revelation”; “Concupiscence means the tendency to commit sin”. “Finally, the miseries of the body are: poverty, illnesses and death”.759

It would possibly be useful to re-read a Chronicle detail which records the content of a conversation Don Bosco had on Tuesday May 11 l875.The conversationis actually a 'dissertation' by Don Bosco on 'the miseries of man', all leading back to Original Sin as their origin. It can shed some light on a certain ambivalence evidenced by Don Bosco in his moral evaluation of the young person, on the quality and content of their aspirations to reach happiness and the consequent educational intervention needed: “We have to acknowledge the dissonance between what Don Bosco thinks and says and what Don Bosco does in practice.

It all follows the Question of the catechism which says: what effect does Original Sin

produce? It causes us to come into this world not in God's grace, deserving hell, being

inclined to sin, subject to death and many miseries affecting our soul and body. Some think

that they will be able to lead a happy life on this earth and try all possible ways to have a

good time. But a happy life we will never be able to have on account of the many miseries

affecting our soul and body. The more we desire happiness and look for it, the more it will

elude us. And what seems most surprising is the fact that all the satisfaction we get is only

good enough to increase the miseries produced by Adam's sin! Well! All these miseries lead

us to exclaim from the bottom of our heart: Quod eternum non est, nihil est, Whatever is

not eternal amounts to nothing. It is better for us to think about eternal realities and then all

the things of this earth will appear worthless to us.

[Then a large carriage drawn by a mule passess and gives rise to new thoughts]. Don Bosco, referring to the mule, exclaimed:

Jumentis insipientibus comparatus est et similis factus est illis (he was compared with

stupid animals and became like them) Here you have what man does: he only thinks about

the things of this world and commits sins. What does he do when he commits sin? Well! He

renounces the use of his reason; because if he did reason it would be impossible for him to

offend God since he knows well how great, how good and how just God is. If a man uses

his reason, he will try not to offend God. And what is it that distinguishes a man from an

animal? Reason: that is why Holy Scripture compares him to a stupid animal. But David

prefaces these words with the following: Homo, cum in honore esset, non intellexit,

jumentis insipientibus (Man, even though held in honor, failed to understand and acted like

the stupid animals). In what way is man held in honor? This is the answer given by one

pp. 23-25, OE X 317-319.

758MO (1991) 35.

759G. Bosco Memoria facile per imparare la storia sacra ad uso del popolo cristiano. Turin. Paravia & Co. 1855, pp. 12-

13, OE VI 60-61.