In this day in age, in America we begin life forced into a mold. Our parents, truly do the best they can to give their children a “better life” than they had to insure success. Our public schools lead us to believe that in order to be successful you must concentrate on being good at working for someone else. Society would lead you to believe that you are not successful unless you have material objects others can only dream of. When you become a parent, you begin the cycle anew.
Parents, who follow the traditions of what they grew up with, employ a vision that sometimes makes up for a lack of what they were able to achieve. Some parents want their kids to go to college because they never got a chance to. Some parents want their children to become great at sports, win beauty pageants or become famous actors. While it is great for parents to expose their children to as many things as possible, forcing them to fulfill things that they want may not be the key to their happiness.
Children are not really concerned about planning for the future, and simply want to live for the moment. Pressuring your kids for tomorrow may give them direction, but could very well instill them with a perpetual feeling of anxiety. Kids just want to have fun, and not worry about being forced into being the next child star athlete or the smartest person in school. It is no wonder that child abuse rates usual peak around the time when report cards are coming out from school. Teachers in school target children who seem to march to the beat of a different drummer due to the way their mind processes information. These children, lead by well meaning parents who want the best for them are forced into doctors offices and doped up on cocaine derivative drugs to cure a fake diseases like “attention deficit disorder”.
As adults, we may still constantly driven by how we were raised. Especially in times of uncertainty, we may tend to fall back on the original path laid out by what our parents designated as right or wrong for us. Basically, it’s like falling back on our life training as a guide on how to live our lives. As an alternative, the bible provides a guide to live a life devoted to god. Which pretty much dictates that you live like a monk. In reality, as long as you have what you need and keep your focus on Christ, what more should you need?
Public schools, which most people in America have attended are government run institutions with liberal agendas. They lead you into believing that in order to be a success that you have to finish school then finish some more school so you can prepare yourself to work for someone else. They do not emphasize on how to be a leader nor even properly budget for personal finances. Our future generations are being setup to be drones to work for others, because they believe that’s what makes you a success.
Society forces you to believe that the bigger the house or the nicer the car you drive, that makes you a success. This belief of conspicuous consumption or “Keeping up with the Joneses” has lead people to an empty shell of stress and to become slaves to a system. After the newness of that big house wears off, its a pain in the butt to stay on top of that pool, cleaning multiple bathrooms, vacuuming and dusting a bunch of extra square footage that you may only use once a year.
Children, just want to spend time with their parents and feel loved. Not everyone wants to work for someone else and needs the support of others when they want to venture out into running their own business. When material possessions begin to own you, that perceived success quickly turns into heart ache. No one can dictate your happiness, and you should not dictate what makes someone else happy. Happiness lies in what your heart, you should not be afraid to explore that and follow your dreams without fear of being judged.
About the photo:
This picture was taken close to a vacant building which sits adjacent to interstate 4 in Altamonte Springs, Florida. This building is owned by a religious broadcasting station that is funding the project with straight cash.
