Tradition

I’m constantly amazed and humbled at each aspect of my life able to be improved by some lesson my parents had me learn and internalize as a child.  Doing chores keeps a clean house (less clutter in the rooms).  Doing chores regularly forms a habit, a good habit at that, and makes the tasks easier (cleaning the bathroom, washing dishes, doing laundry).  Getting enough sleep (energy for the next day).  Going to bed at the same time each night (another good routine).  Doing homework completely and immediately (saves time, frees up free time).  Enjoying rewards after work is done (end days on a positive note, prioritization).  Not relying too heavily on technology (solving problems with own ability, experiencing more of the real world).  Treat others with kindness and courtesy (never know who you might make friends with, contacts will benefit you when you need them).  Ignore petty stuff (don’t get bogged down over minutiae, stay focused on important things).  Resort to logic, not name-calling (any argument is better refuted by stronger reason than harsher insults).

Traditionalist social conservatives get a lot of flack in this day and age for thinking “backwards.”  But most of their ideas, I’m finding, are more applicable than they get credit for.  The wonderful thing about them is their timeless, universal applicability.  The lessons my parents, teachers, pastors, and media taught me didn’t sink in until I experienced them for myself.  That experience is the most effective instruction because it directly affects one’s life.

The comforts of modern technology shield us physically and visually from the harsh realities our ancestors withstood.  Meaning those experiences do not penetrate our soft, contemporary bubbles to disturb us directly.  We've skipped the calculations and landed right to an "answer."  What college student actually starves today?  Who doesn’t have a free library card to utilize public computers and access the Internet?  Which news programs are we forced to listen to?

We have not embraced more freedom as time's plodded on.  We have traded liberty for security, and we may soon end up with neither.