In my day job, I listen. That's mostly what a doctor does. I do prescribe medicine and treat illness but more often than not my ability to read between and under the lines is what helps me out from day to day. I also talk to my patients, and I am scared by what I am hearing. Kids don't care anymore. I know that adults have been saying that for 50 years but honestly these kids care more about their phones and their TV then this country. I just spent a few minutes IMing with a motivated young man who is not sure how to go about changing this nation or his friends. By glancing at his Facebook pace, I really got to see Social Media in action, and he thinks that he is not doing enough. We both agreed that the path our Nation is on is scary and we are not sure where we are headed. I encouraged him and anyone else, stand up, and speak out. Know how and why Congress and the President is spending your money. That's right its your money if you pay taxes - its not their money till you send it to them. Call Congress, ask questions... And heaven forbid maybe we all need to drink a little more "tea from parties". The same old same old pork earmarks won't do - not with my hard earned money. Nor should it do for yours... Learn about how America works and if you don't understand - ask a friend, facebook a question, or tweet your query to the world... there will be answers.
Lets take back this land I love - the home of the free and the brave.
I don't think kids should carry the FULL burden of our society's problems, but I have taught my children about some of the issues that they will face as adults in bite-size chunks over the years. In fact, my husband and I took them (ages 15, 13, and 10 at the time) with us when we participated in the Tea Party effort in Cookeville last year. More importantly than my boys attending the event, I wanted them to UNDERSTAND WHY we were there and why I thought it was important for them to be there...after all their future is being mortgaged, too. I won't claim that they are all three now super-aware, hyper-vigilant political activists, but I do believe they have a basic understanding of what is happening. They are not completely apathetic, and the more we teach them, the more they are willing to get involved. There is hope for these kids, yet! What made me sick to my stomach AFTER the tea party event was watching with my boys to see what the different media outlets had to say about the movement nationwide. I thought the act of having my boys watch news coverage of an event they participated in could only motivate them further...until MSNBC's slanted coverage destroyed any hope whatsoever that I had left of that station giving conservatives a fair shake...at least certain hosts whose names will not be mentioned here...it disgusted me that my children heard some of the vile things they said, when my boys were so very elated and proud of themselves for standing up for what they believed in only a few hours before. Fortunately, there was also some very good coverage of the true story on FOX and other stations. I just used the opportunity to teach my children another lesson that my hubs and I tried to hammer home throughout the entire election season...that all media is not created equal and how some media outlets take a little truth and twist it to fit their own agenda! In the case of the Tea Party, my kids can say they were there. They know first-hand what things did or did not happen the way the media reported it, so they ended up getting two lessons for the price of one!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, great blog! I know you are busy, but keep up the good work when you can! God bless!
Thanks for the comments and I will try -
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