I'm about to give you an opinion that I'm not sure many will like:
Our country, maybe even the world, is going down in flames. You may say I'm giving a gross exaggeration. I hope that you're right. The truth of the matter is that we live in a world of giving in. I have often wondered what it is that has created the world of giving in, and I usually just blame it on Dr. Spock. His no spank attitude killed discipline in the homes. Oh how I wish my grandmother was still alive so we could talk about the dribble that spilled from that man. She hated him. But I digress. Dr. Spock was just the beginning. The tipping point, if you will. A great deal of change has happened in our country since the 1950's. I think one of the biggest changes has been the role of women in the home and workplace. As the dynamic shifted to mothers leaving the home, the rest of the country wasn't ready for what would happen. Please note that I am neither for nor against any particular one choice in this regard. I think each family needs to find the right dynamic for them. Some women thrive in the stay at home mom role while others want to rip their hair out. I think the movement and shift gave women the freedom to choose. Or did it? My mother was a stay at home mom. (Do not call her a house wife, she didn't marry a house. She's a homemaker.) She kept the house clean. She was home when I was sick. She drove us places. And dinner was made as best as she cared to make it. But for her generation, she was often looked down upon by her peers. Many women said that all women should work and help provide for the family financially. She has had plenty of friends that spoke ill of her choice to not drive into an office and work like they did. Still, as women moved off into the workforce, the family dynamic shifted. Children became latchkey kids. There was often less enforcement of rules, or even just few rules in general. Parents work to provide, then when they come home they want to see their kids. They want to have fun and spend time with them. The idea of being the bad cop after not seeing them created a sense of guilt. And since these were the kids that grew up being told their parents shouldn't spank them, they didn't always know how to handle discipline. I truly believe that is the rise of giving in. Just this one time... Don't let me catch you again.... Okay fine, just don't tell your mother/father. These words come out of parents' mouths usually out of guilt. The time away from their kids, they don't want to be viewed as the bad guy. Parents became friends. And we teach our children not to let our friends control us. We lost view of the parental role and began to give in. So what's the big deal? A kid gets a toy for pouting in the store. A teen stays out a little past curfew. Big whoop. The big deal is that the home created an environment where stomping our feet gets us what we want. But the rest of the world isn't like that. Or at least that's what I was taught. The truth is, our country is definitely turning into that. A person is offended that a Christian company plays Christian music. The person made the choice to attend that company. They can put in headphones, they can leave. Nope. Stomp that foot! Waahh!! I don't like this song! And now that company only plays melodies instead of the words that speak of God's greatness. If they don't, they lose the offended customers. But when they don't continue the music, they lose the "hey we liked that" crowd. They can't win! But they gave in. It seems that every where you look, people are giving in. You can see this in any person with a goal. I'll use fitness because it's simple. Things the person knows: I need to cut down my portion sizes. I need to exercise regularly. I need to get enough sleep. Things the person does: I ate it because I didn't want to offend them. I didn't get out for a walk because a coworker wanted help. I didn't go to bed because my spouse wanted to watch a movie and I didn't want to disappoint them. And now the person has given in to everyone around them and is worse off for it. Giving in every once in a while isn't terrible. Sometimes a little compromise can be worth it. But when it becomes the norm that expectations don't need to be met or that other people's happiness is more important than x,y,&z, it becomes deadly. Let's start waking up, and stop giving in. Fight for what is needed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI have a lot to say about a lot of things. Archives
May 2023
Categories |