The Sage Connection

I fear the world my little ones will inherit

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The other day my soon-to-be four-year-old great-grandchild announced she was not proud to be an American. Not old enough to understand what she was saying, of course,  but parroting words she had heard from others.

At the moment of this conversation, I was shocked. Her grandfather immediately assured her he was proud to be an American but she did not budge.

This conversation came after the most recent massacre of our school children. Most recent. Read that sentence again. And I knew her Mother had shown her hiding places in her pre-school the day before.

Showing a four-year-old where to hide at her preschool in case someone shows up with a gun to take her life…Perhaps my great-grandchild knows something I don’t.

There have been many times when I have been shocked by events in our country. There have been many times when I thought the killers of children must be sick.

Bombs set off in buildings where daycare was housed,  schools taken over by teenage killers, kids killing their parents, parents killing their own children, kids being killed for their tennis shoes…the list goes on and on. Many of these killings came about because of perceived disrespect. As if killing someone can earn the respect of a dead person.

  Each time I heard about another episode I thought to myself, they must be sick. To do such things must be a sign of mental health illness.

But now I am beginning to wonder. I do not know all the ins and outs of what legally defines mental illness. But I do know quite a bit about narcissist behavior, selfishness and the damage endless enabling can cause.

Basically, it seems to boil down to one attitude – it’s all about me. What I want. Age doesn’t matter. Greed and envy seem to be this nation’s new gods.

How did we get here? Why do we stay? Wars are presented as God’s will. Cops are the bad guys and criminals are victims. Everything I thought I knew has been turned upside down.

There is no doubt that bad people are everywhere, regardless of their station in life. Cops, lawyers, wall street traders, businessmen, criminals. Your next-door neighbor might be a pedophile. Your family members might steal from you. Your teacher might beat his wife. Marriage is no longer necessary for life, and in many cases, this has become a good thing.

The national media magnify the bad news and ignore the good.  My boss has complained several times about the amount of hits The JOLT gets on crime articles and reports, as opposed to the good community news we publish.

I think another problem is the desire for control. The politicians want it, husbands and wives want it, children want it, the rich want it and so do the poor. But if we think we have to kill or destroy lives to get it who really has it? The one with the gun or bomb? The one who votes to support those who line his or her pockets? It certainly doesn’t seem to be the one who follows the rules.

I know there are good people out there. I also know we are pretty much ignored. Many of the best have been assassinated. The values and morals of yesterday are just that – yesterday.

Making excuses for young children's bad behavior teaches them that when they are adults the same behavior will be tolerated or even applauded. Failing to encourage their good traits will teach them that goodness fails and is viewed by many today as weakness.

In some states, women who were raped can be prosecuted if they choose to have an abortion. Yet unwanted children fill our orphanages, foster homes and streets.

Scientists are pretty much ignored while rap stars who were drug dealers in their former lives are viewed by the young as role models. Elon Musk gets kudos for sending rockets to space. Who designed them? Who built and tested them? Nameless, faceless entities.

My soul is tired. I fear the world my little ones will inherit. And yet I must hope for the best. Wake up America. I need some good news.

Comments

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  • Drutty

    I agree with you. Our world is totally upside down.

    Wednesday, June 1, 2022 Report this

  • Southsoundguy

    Focus on your immediate surroundings, improve yourself, improve your yard, improve your block. There is no alternative. Don’t vote for anyone who talks about anything outside the borders of legitimate community. More importantly, don’t count on voting to save you; our government is too corrupt to save in its current form. It’s going to take decades, but decency and righteousness will eventually win out.

    Thursday, June 2, 2022 Report this

  • andersonwrit

    Miller 19 - I pray you are right...

    Thursday, June 2, 2022 Report this