As I sit here at 6:30am this Saturday morning, I have real concerns. What am I concerned about? Is it the recent government shutdown? Is it the nations debt ceiling? Is it Obamacare? All of these things concern me but that is not what concerns me most. What keeps me up at night is the complete erosion of many of the principles and values that were pounded into my head by not only my family but by the community around me. Its the erosion of these things that has led this great Country to the sad state it is in today. Little things like when you communicate with other people, look them in the eye when you speak with them. Say please, thank you, youre welcome, excuse me. When it comes to an obligation or a job, arrive early, stay late, care about your work, do your fair share and then some. Some of these may seem tiresome and even cliche but they led to a sense of common decency and expectation that made this Country great. The fact that the average teenager has the attention span of a gnat is not technologies fault. Its a lack of discipline by them and poor teaching and reinforcement by not only their family but the community at large. The fact that people are obese and unhealthy is not the fast food industries fault. Its due to laziness, overindulgence and poor education and training in their homes on the topics exercise and diet. The fact that consumer debt is so high is not due to those evil credit card companies and banks, its due to people wanting and spending more than they have, period! Instead of looking in the mirror to fix our shortcomings, weve pointed fingers, cried foul and asked our government to fix our problems. The result is the increasing involvement of government in our everyday lives. A society that cannot regulate and police itself needs intervention, which leads to interference and even abuse of power. Its really that simple but we seem to want to just talk about those dirty politicians and special interest groups. Before these people became dirty politicians, they were raised in a home, they went to school and they lived in a neighborhood. What values were they taught? What morals were preached? What virtues did they witness? Were they held accountable or given a pass every time they screwed up? Did they learn the value of a dollar? Were they given a shovel and asked to do yard work or help a neighbor rake their leaves? Or did they spend their free time in front of a TV and playing video games? Did they see their parents chase material wealth while never helping their neighbors and others in need? Were they given everything or forced to get a job and work for it? We can continue to fight over politics but can we at least agree that teaching our kids about hard work is still a good thing? Can we teach them that keeping their promises is not only an expectation but a requirement in our households? Can we force them to put their damn cell phone down and look someone in the eye when theyre speaking to them? Can we put some baby carrots in front of them instead of a bag of chips when they need a snack? These are the things we can all control and they will make a difference. It doesnt happen overnight but little by little we can right the ship and start producing better citizens and leaders from our homes and communities. It may sound unrealistic and overly virtuous but sarcasm and cynicism never fixed any problems. Sorry for the Saturday morning rant. Its now 7:30 and I need some coffee! God Bless
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 11:37:01 +0000
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