Saturday, February 9, 2013

What's goin' on?

Not too political in the blog today. Well, a little, especially when you factor in the young people we are leaving our great country to. 

This morning, like a good 77-year old trying to maintain a modicum of good health I went to the gym to attempt to raise my heart rate and work out on the Nautilus gear. Thankfully I brought my iPhone that had all my music stored into it, along with my ear buds.

Loudly blaring through the speakers, and I do mean loud, were screaming rap songs that a human could not understand the words. Well, I take that back; there were some words that were very easy to understand;  F_ _ _,  S_ _ _,  P_ _ _ Y,  B_ _ ch, and many other words that I just can't write here, but I know you get the message.

So I pushed my ear buds to my iPhone and my ears, tuned in "Greatest Hits By Melissa Manchester", turned it up very loud to drown out the rap junk, and breezed through an enjoyable workout. Here's the best: As I was putting my stuff away in my gym bag I noticed two young guys on the treadmill side by side, and a woman on the next to one of the young guys.

With no regard to the woman on the treadmill well within hearing range the two young guys (cant call them men) were talking about the "night before". Their language was laced with deplorable swearing and cursing. I was at least ten yards away from them, and could hear every word they were saying. I know the woman next to them clearly heard every single word. The sadness is the young guys didn't have a clue that they were doing anything wrong. To them, they were just exercising their First Amendment.

While this scenario at the treadmill was occurring, the loud blaring sounds of rap music laced with swearing and cursing was coming through the speakers.  What's my point here?

So many adults have the notion that the best way to raise their children is to make sure they have more material things than they had growing up. No, I'm not going to write anything stupid like, "when I was your age". No youngster wants to hear or read that.

However, it seems solid family values are laughed at today. Mothers and fathers want to be buddies and friends of their children. If done correctly, raising children is the toughest, but most rewarding job a parent will ever undertake. I just want to interject a personal note here.
As a facilitator for John Walsh's National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, I would always tell my parenting audiences that I was raised on LSD; Love, Support, and Discipline.

Dad had the biggest and warmest heart I've ever known, but could bring me to my knees with just a look. He didn't want to be my buddy, pal, or friend, but WOW, he did a great job with my two sisters and I. He never went to the first grade himself, but made sure my sisters and I  received college educations.  OK...enough with the "when I was your age" stories.

All the gun violence and shootings going on today is not the fault of some inanimate object; a gun or knife. These crimes started to fester in those young killers when they were in their family cocoon. We need to return back to teaching our young children true family values, decency, respect, and generosity.

Years ago, doing business with an Asian-American lady she commented, "I am amazed at America. It is the only country that is so heavily populated with old-age nursing homes. Instead of drawing from the wisdom of your elderly you just sweep them out of the way into a nursing home. We would never do that in Japan". Years later an Irish-American reiterated the very same words to me.

It seems many of our younger generation, not all by any means, are more interested in "the good times". They feel it's their right; it's their life, and us old timers do not understand anything that makes sense in today's changing world. 

After last November's election, I asked a twenty-one year old why she didn't even vote. She commented, "I didn't want to vote to contribute to the problems that you old people created". I commented that us "old people" going to turn this world over to them, and soon. She just walked away and disrespectfully sneered, "whatever old man".

I guarantee that if parents take the time to instill strong family values in our youngsters at their earliest possible age our whole world will be a better planet. Yeah, call me old-fashioned, a old man, a dreamer, but it's appearing the alternative isn't working well today. Parents, please work on making it better.

And that's Politics with Pete for today...God bless our country....and our troops. 

 

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I welcome all views, and am open for discussion, but will not tolerate personal attacks