They don’t make kids like they used to. Well, actually most of the times they do still make kids like they used to, but with science and technology advances they sometimes make kids in different ways that aren’t as fun.
What I really mean is they don’t teach and raise kids like they used to. Oh, there have been some great advantages to modern society. For instance, kids growing up are taught to try and end racism. There have been great technological advances. People are living longer due to both advances in lifestyle as well as modern medicine. Poverty still exists, but keep in mind that poverty is a relative term. Poor people in this country would be considered well off compared to people in many other countries and also compared to our ancestors.
Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, we have become very coddled by living in this great country. This is certainly exemplified by the recent election and reaction to it:
- Professors giving students a day off so they can go vote. In past decades, people were expected to be self-reliant and figure out how to make time to get there on their own.
- Temper tantrums after Trump won-
- A man in Chicago was beaten for voting for Trump. Talk about adding insult to injury…it’s bad enough that the choices were so poor that he was reduced to have to vote for Trump, but then to get beaten up on top of that?
- A mother punishes her young son and kicks him out of the house for voting for Trump in a mock school election. (The video of this on YouTube makes me sick to watch the mother’s cruelty to her own son)
- People protesting and rioting in the street…as if stopping traffic and destroying other people’s property is going to help.
- Hillary supporters falling on the floor and crying on election night (didn’t they ever learn to lose out on the sports field?)
- Coddling-
- Cornell University had a cry-in with staff passing out tissues and hot chocolate ( I trust they got marshmallows with that)
- Professors at Northwestern University postponed exams and cancelled classes
- University of Kansas students were offered therapy dogs-ones that don’t bite I assume
- Multiple universities offered coloring activities (i.e. coloring books and paper). College students?…you’ve got to be kidding
- University of Michigan students were given play-doh. (They should have given them rubber balls so they could learn the concept of bouncing back!)
Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against hot chocolate, dogs, coloring, and play-doh. I can also certainly see how people would not be happy with results of the election. Personally, I was not happy with the prospects before the election and continue to have concerns over the country’s future. However, a little perspective will help us to cope not only with the election, but with other life problems as well.
Let me offer 3 perspectives that should help to ease your mind if you are concerned about a Trump presidency:
- Political reality perspective…Trump was elected president, not king. There are 3 branches of government, so his power is limited. There are a couple of million federal employees, probably at least half of which are Democrats which also limits his power. Policies that he puts forth could be reversed by the next president. If you are a big Trump supporter, this perspective will tend to take the wind out of your sails.
- Historical perspective…consider historical countries/civilizations such as Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Russia, the Roman empire, multiple countries in Africa and Asia that have oppressed their citizens. To think that Trump’s America would be even close to being that bad is just ludicrous. No, instead of dreading our future, we need to be grateful that we are where we are.
- The ‘Big Picture’ or eternal perspective…this picture relies on God’s saving grace. Imagine being in heaven 50, 100, 200 years from now. Whatever problem you have or see today becomes trivial from this perspective. I remind myself of this whenever my day seems to be going south.
So cheer up America, things aren’t so bad. Find a positive perspective and be grateful for it. We’ll all be better off.