I see plenty of people asking “What kind of world are we giving our children?”
I don’t see quite as many asking “What kind of children are we giving our world?”
Here are three qualities I’m doing my best to instill in my kids both for their own benefit and for the good of the people their lives will touch.
- Curiosity – The “Entertainment-Media Complex” is working hard to gobble up as much of our brain space as it can. As it does, we lose one of our greatest strengths: curiosity. The more we maintain a sense of wonder and a thirst to learn, the more we have to offer.
- Contribution – “The Market” is doing its best to raise our kids to be consumers. What we NEED are more contributors. When humans contribute more than they consume, the world gets better. The reverse is also true. When our goal is to give more than we take, the possibilities are nearly endless.
- Compassion – “Empathy” is a great buzzword, but true compassion is more than “feeling” for people. It is a willingness to care enough about the needs of others that you DO something about them. Compassion is an antidote to judgment, and in a world as divided as ours, that’s an antidote we sorely need.
Those aren’t the only three qualities I hope to help my children develop, but maybe it’s a good start.
What would you add to the list?
