Just over a year ago, the founder of this project, Chris Brogan, wrote a blog post entitled 100 Topics I Hope YOU Write. I bookmarked it for future reference – it was, and still is, a great resource for when the blogging ideas well runs dry. Today sees the first fruit of that blog post’s labors, for me at least.
The world is a crazy place. Some may say it always has been, but you know, the last decade more than anything has seen everything change. These are scary times, and we only have ourselves to blame in many cases.
I’ve been sitting watching the news about the terror in Mumbai coming through, both on mainstream media and Twitter, of all places. For anyone with family or friends in Mumbai, Twitter has been playing a key role in updates on the situation as they happen.
Now I’ve just read a headline about the horrendous death of a Wal-Mart worker in Long Island, NY when shoppers burst through the doors of the store he worked at. The worker was knocked over by shoppers hellbent on getting the best Black Friday deals, and tragically he died from suffocation.
Combine these two stories with everything that’s happening around us – the ill-conceived War on Terror, the collapse of the economy and the destruction of our planet’s resources. When did we stop caring about each other so much that we seem destined to end each other’s existence?
Is this the legacy we want to leave our children? Will there be any legacy to leave them?
This is why we need our children more than ever. Every generation says, “This time it’ll be different.” Every generation says these words with good intent, I’m sure. But so far, every generation has failed. We have to offer hope that our children will do things differently.
Perhaps this time will be different. Perhaps Obama’s “Vote for Change” will really mean something, as opposed to just being a campaign slogan. The signs are good – now is the time to take these signs and make good on them.
We have to teach our children not to hate.
We have to teach our children greed is bad.
We have to teach our children tolerance of others and belief in mankind.
These life lessons and more start from the top, but we need the powers that be to offer a helping hand. What good are our teachings about greed when our children see corporate CEO’s banking millions while overseeing the worst financial crisis in recent years, and not being punished for it?
We need to stop the madness. Stop the conflicts. Stop the craziness that sees a single day of sales result in death and injury. We need to stop hating, stop the bigotry, and start loving our fellow man again.
We need to say, “My children will do it differently.” And believe it. And make it happen.
Danny Brown is father to a beautiful daughter and owner of Press Release PR, a boutique agency specializing in search engine optimized press releases and social media PR. He is also a blog partner of the iEntry and WebProNews network and an avid supporter of Toronto FC. Say hello to him on Twitter.
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I do believe its down to parents to teach or re-educate our children in an age when good struggling to win over evil. Children are just spoiled, thats my opinion………the more you give the less they appreciate. Parents are forced to work so with guilt they buy kids their affections………….sorry we aren’t here and you are latchkey kids but heres a toy, or heres some money, that will make up for us not being around to teach you right from wrong. I’m a single parent of two kids, both grown up aged 27 and 21, society and even the government deemed that kids of poor single parents would turn out to be vandals, thieves, jailbirds………..pretty much the scum of the earth. Wrong…………….well in my kids’ case anyway. I set out to prove them wrong, I didn’t spoil them, but then again I was there for them as they grew up, taught them right from wrong, gave them the little I could afford and that wasn’t in line with their peers who ridiculed them, it was really,really tough not having much. My son grew up to be a kind, caring very clever and successful young man who worked himself through an apprenticeship with the MOD of the UK, joined the Territoral army, tried to get in to Sandhurst but having passed every part of the exams till last one to be fail and reading between the lines, he wasn’t officer material because his blood wasn’t blue enough. He damn well worked up to Officer through the TAs and passed out at Sandhurst and went on to be promoted to Lft Captain just to show them you just have to be a decent, determined bloke and no matter what your upbringing is to succeed.
My daughter has had health problems since birth, she doesn’t have a chip on her shoulder or feel sorry for herself because she knows there are far worse off than herself
Busybodies years ago said we couldn’t smack our kids, now like anyone, child abuse is abhorant but a little smack didn’t do me any harm, it taught me there was a fine line we didn’t cross in childhood, we were taught respect for elders. Nowadays the majority of kids don’t respect anyone but themselves and their peers, they think adults owe them and sadly parents pay them in all ways that they will never be able to stand o ntheir own feet and fend for themselves, they are so used to getting their own way. Mad Max was so Sci Fi, well to be honest I kind of think the makers seen the future………..unless parents get a grip we pretty much are breeding callous, uncaring human beings. We should always be aware of what our kids are up to, I know too many parents that when people go to their door about their kids up to no good its a case of “my son/daughter wouldn’t do that” the door slams and the kid smirks behind their parents back knowing they got off with it again. I speak from experience, an neighbour of mine with a son same age as mine, I punished my son by grounding him, teaching him right from wrong………my neighbour closed the door on peoples faces when her son had done wrong. Well I told you what my son has achieved, her son is forever in and out of jail and on drugs.
Start when they are young and continue to teach them right from wrong, I know parents have to work to pay bills etc but no matter how tired you are you have to be firm at all times, its for childrens benefits as well as their parents to turn out decent human beings in our kids so they can pass down the firm but loving teachings of our parents and grandparents etc.
I worked for 8 years with children in a school, by the time of my 8th year I left with a heavy heart knowing that children no longer respected their adults, that most of them thought they were a law unto themselves…………those that did I see them in town, druggies and layabouts, its sad, how an adult turns out is largely to do with their parents and upbringing. Its so much easier to start at the beginning in teaching right from wrong as trying to turn it around when they are adults.
Sorry I’ve had a right rant but every day what happens in the news saddens me, theres a big knife crime in the UK between young kids, no value on human lives, parents brokenhearted. Our jails are full. Communications break down for many parent/children relationships. For some there is no going back but for parents with young children now………………think long and hard how you will teach your children to be decent human beings and I know its so difficult in a society that forces parents to work…………….you have to find the time and patience or else we wil find ourselves in a wolrd similar to Mad Max’s world.
I know that there are some parents who do all the right things and still their kids go off the rails and for them they can only hope that maturity and memories of a good childhood will pull them back from the brink of all things wrong.
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I do believe its down to parents to teach or re-educate our children in an age when good struggling to win over evil. Children are just spoiled, thats my opinion………the more you give the less they appreciate. Parents are forced to work so with guilt they buy kids their affections………….sorry we aren’t here and you are latchkey kids but heres a toy, or heres some money, that will make up for us not being around to teach you right from wrong. I’m a single parent of two kids, both grown up aged 27 and 21, society and even the government deemed that kids of poor single parents would turn out to be vandals, thieves, jailbirds………..pretty much the scum of the earth. Wrong…………….well in my kids’ case anyway. I set out to prove them wrong, I didn’t spoil them, but then again I was there for them as they grew up, taught them right from wrong, gave them the little I could afford and that wasn’t in line with their peers who ridiculed them, it was really,really tough not having much. My son grew up to be a kind, caring very clever and successful young man who worked himself through an apprenticeship with the MOD of the UK, joined the Territoral army, tried to get in to Sandhurst but having passed every part of the exams till last one to be fail and reading between the lines, he wasn’t officer material because his blood wasn’t blue enough. He damn well worked up to Officer through the TAs and passed out at Sandhurst and went on to be promoted to Lft Captain just to show them you just have to be a decent, determined bloke and no matter what your upbringing is to succeed.
My daughter has had health problems since birth, she doesn’t have a chip on her shoulder or feel sorry for herself because she knows there are far worse off than herself
Busybodies years ago said we couldn’t smack our kids, now like anyone, child abuse is abhorant but a little smack didn’t do me any harm, it taught me there was a fine line we didn’t cross in childhood, we were taught respect for elders. Nowadays the majority of kids don’t respect anyone but themselves and their peers, they think adults owe them and sadly parents pay them in all ways that they will never be able to stand o ntheir own feet and fend for themselves, they are so used to getting their own way. Mad Max was so Sci Fi, well to be honest I kind of think the makers seen the future………..unless parents get a grip we pretty much are breeding callous, uncaring human beings. We should always be aware of what our kids are up to, I know too many parents that when people go to their door about their kids up to no good its a case of “my son/daughter wouldn’t do that” the door slams and the kid smirks behind their parents back knowing they got off with it again. I speak from experience, an neighbour of mine with a son same age as mine, I punished my son by grounding him, teaching him right from wrong………my neighbour closed the door on peoples faces when her son had done wrong. Well I told you what my son has achieved, her son is forever in and out of jail and on drugs.
Start when they are young and continue to teach them right from wrong, I know parents have to work to pay bills etc but no matter how tired you are you have to be firm at all times, its for childrens benefits as well as their parents to turn out decent human beings in our kids so they can pass down the firm but loving teachings of our parents and grandparents etc.
I worked for 8 years with children in a school, by the time of my 8th year I left with a heavy heart knowing that children no longer respected their adults, that most of them thought they were a law unto themselves…………those that did I see them in town, druggies and layabouts, its sad, how an adult turns out is largely to do with their parents and upbringing. Its so much easier to start at the beginning in teaching right from wrong as trying to turn it around when they are adults.
Sorry I’ve had a right rant but every day what happens in the news saddens me, theres a big knife crime in the UK between young kids, no value on human lives, parents brokenhearted. Our jails are full. Communications break down for many parent/children relationships. For some there is no going back but for parents with young children now………………think long and hard how you will teach your children to be decent human beings and I know its so difficult in a society that forces parents to work…………….you have to find the time and patience or else we wil find ourselves in a wolrd similar to Mad Max’s world.
I know that there are some parents who do all the right things and still their kids go off the rails and for them they can only hope that maturity and memories of a good childhood will pull them back from the brink of all things wrong.
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I am going to disagree on the “greed is bad” reference. Greed is bad when it leads you to harming or stealing from others, but greed is not inherently bad.
Greed is what leads people to do better. Greed is what leads people to produce more. In this sense, greed is good.
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I am going to disagree on the “greed is bad” reference. Greed is bad when it leads you to harming or stealing from others, but greed is not inherently bad.
Greed is what leads people to do better. Greed is what leads people to produce more. In this sense, greed is good.