Imagine that you had the power to imprint in the minds of every child born today one phrase, one piece of permanent wisdom. What would you tell them?
A personal motto? A snippet of philosophy? A message of hope? A lesson you had to learn the hard way? Would it be a rule or a suggestion? A statement or a question? If you could only have your words surface on each birthday, would they be different? What would you say?
Expand on your message. Where did it come from? Why is it so important that the next generation should hear it?
“I will question everything and respect all life in the Universe without exception. I will make my choices based on my own evaluation of the data provided and the consequences or outcomes to be had. I will not give in to the propaganda and pressure of those around me. I will respect others and their beliefs and decisions. I will strive to be accepting of all around me and to learn about that which I don’t understand.”
This is the thought that I wish would pop into my children’s heads everytime they face a decision – large or small. It aggravates me when my children come home and talk about the kids in their schools using stereotypical names, etc. I hear myself preaching to them about how everyone is different and that’s okay; how everyone has a right to believe or to be whatever or whoever they want. I’m always trying to undo the prejudices done throughout the day at school. My pre-teen daughter especially gets me going. She can’t be friends with so-and-so because of this or that or cause her friends don’t like him/her. I try desperately to teach my children not to buy into that kind of thing and to give everyone equal time because everyone is valuable and while they won’t end up being friends with everyone this way they may find a few very good friends that they otherwise might not have discovered. I try to make them understand what it would be like if they were the ones being teased or neglected. I try to make them think and decide on their own whether what they are basing their ideas on is really true. It seems to be an uphill battle. But, I believe that if I’m vigilant they will get it eventually. So, maybe I’ll scoot two more respectful, thoughtful liberals out into the world and if they pass that down the line etc. at some point we’ll all come together with love and understanding. I may not live to see that day but I can still work towards it. Wouldn’t it be something if years from now words like tolerance and racism and bigotry were erased from the language because they just went out of style and usage??
Score 3:4
