By: Roy Williams
America has changed. Most of us over the age of 50 can remember not having to lock the doors at night. As young boys and girls our parents would let us take a walk down the street or road and never give it a second thought. Most of us were taken to church and volunteered to help in the garden or yard. We were taught to believe in God, work mowing yards, babysitting, hoeing, pulling weeds, or hauling hay just to have enough money to do something on the weekend.
When a man and woman chose to form a marriage partnership, it was expected, from the start, that it was a lifetime commitment. Planning to have children was an even more serious decision, requiring that they had a specific plan on how their children should be raised. They understood that it takes a stable household to raise a child or children to adulthood, setting an example so they could grow up with the confidence to run their own lives and raise another generation.
Yes, things have certainly changed. Today most children in America live a privileged life. Many grow up thinking that their parents are supposed to wait on them hand and foot, providing a place to live, clothes to wear, and food to eat while they watch TV and play video games. Ask them to vacuum the floor, load the dishwasher, or wash the clothes and they look at you like you have lost your mind.
Remember knowing that the yard better be mowed, your room cleaned, the garden hoed, and trash taken out before your mom or dad got home from work? Even when school was in session, you knew that you better do your chores and have your schoolwork done before you got to watch TV or ride your bike.
It was made clear to most of us that we were expected to treat adults with respect, especially the teachers, police, and others in authority. We understood that we should choose our words carefully when talking to adults, and using vulgarity in public was not acceptable and could get your bottom tore up or get you grounded for days or even weeks.
Most parents understood that the discipline had to be severe enough that you would always remember not to cross that line again. We were taught to say, “Yes, sir” and “Yes, ma’am” to adults and to follow the rules, which back then was very clear and easy to understand. We actually sat down at the kitchen table every night and had dinner as a family, which usually started with a prayer.
We understood who the leaders of the household were and that what they said was how it was. You knew better than to backtalk either of your parents and that the mom and dad always had each other’s back. Yes, life was simpler because there were rules that everyone understood and that breaking the rules had some real uncomfortable consequences.
Fast forward to the twenty-first century. Most children are raised in broken families, almost never taken to church leaving them confused about life in general. Many grow up with no respect for authority, for their parents or siblings or anybody else, including themselves or God.
It is time, as a nation, to go back to the basics and stop the division; and the only way to do that is for everyone to play by a basic set of rules that will automatically bring us back together.
You see, we don’t care what color you are, what size you are, how much money you earn, how old or young you are. But pay attention to what we do care about if we are ever going to have a truly successful civil society again.
As a true capitalistic nation, we must have a hard-core set of beliefs that bring us together. If we truly want to maintain our freedom as a people, we must agree on what we do care about.
As a society we must treat each other with respect. We must speak to each other with kindness. Each person must develop good work ethics and, to the best of his or her ability, pay their own way. We must take responsibility for the decisions we make.
We must stop the dependency epidemic that has been perpetuated by a liberal government who in all reality wants everyone dependent on them instead of our own ability, and even more important, our God. Are we going to do it man’s way using his ideas and concepts or God’s way using His instructions and creations?
Stop believing the lies spewed from the mouth of man, which will only hold you in bondage; and start searching for the truth, and you will find freedom. John 8:32: You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.
Your friend in health,
Roy P. Williams
