As I sat on the porch this morning with some dark nectar of the bean. I started pondering what exactly is America. And what has led us to this point. as our Founding fathers have said it is an experiment in self governance.
John Adams 1786
It has ever been my hobby-horse to see rising in America an empire of liberty, and a prospect of two or three hundred millions of freemen, without one noble or one king among them. You say it is impossible. If I should agree with you in this, I would still say, let us try the experiment, and preserve our equality as long as we can. A better system of education for the common people might preserve them long from such artificial inequalities as are prejudicial to society, by confounding the natural distinctions of right and wrong, virtue and vice.
This got me to thinking about the foundation of a society. It really is the family with a mother and father teaching their sons and daughters as only a mother and father can with the differences in their prospectives.
I can remember growing up my parents had a few one liners that they used a lot.
My Mama would say “if you don’t work you don’t eat”. And if you didn’t do your chores you went to bed hungry but the next day you did everything she told you to do. And if she saw you working really hard she’d cook your favorite for supper. (Only happened to me a few times I like to eat)
My Daddy would say “if you’re gonna be dumb you’d better be tough“. And he meant it and would enforce it.
We always knew what the rules were and they never changed. And if we broke them our punishment was dealt quickly. However they would never stay mad at us for long. Looking back at the times we’re told to hold the door for someone or push someone’s grocery buggy for them. Or simply to wave and smile at a stranger. My wife laughs at me now because I’m so use to waving at people driving down the road that I have waved at dogs and mailboxes
Civility starts in the home among family members and if taught properly radiates out from there. It’s odd thinking back on those years at home there was never tyranny or democracy there was only the rule of law. My mother was a secretary and my father farmed during the day and worked at the firestone tire plant at night. Neither went to college but according to how they raised us they could have been constitutional scholars. They taught us to govern ourselves. Some say that I have privilege but I say I was blessed by God to have parents who believed in civility, common courtesy and hard work.
What say you?
I leave with the video below. Each time I hear it I can’t help but stand taller with misty eyes.
https://youtu.be/B2AEkfjc6-o
John Adams 1786
It has ever been my hobby-horse to see rising in America an empire of liberty, and a prospect of two or three hundred millions of freemen, without one noble or one king among them. You say it is impossible. If I should agree with you in this, I would still say, let us try the experiment, and preserve our equality as long as we can. A better system of education for the common people might preserve them long from such artificial inequalities as are prejudicial to society, by confounding the natural distinctions of right and wrong, virtue and vice.
This got me to thinking about the foundation of a society. It really is the family with a mother and father teaching their sons and daughters as only a mother and father can with the differences in their prospectives.
I can remember growing up my parents had a few one liners that they used a lot.
My Mama would say “if you don’t work you don’t eat”. And if you didn’t do your chores you went to bed hungry but the next day you did everything she told you to do. And if she saw you working really hard she’d cook your favorite for supper. (Only happened to me a few times I like to eat)
My Daddy would say “if you’re gonna be dumb you’d better be tough“. And he meant it and would enforce it.
We always knew what the rules were and they never changed. And if we broke them our punishment was dealt quickly. However they would never stay mad at us for long. Looking back at the times we’re told to hold the door for someone or push someone’s grocery buggy for them. Or simply to wave and smile at a stranger. My wife laughs at me now because I’m so use to waving at people driving down the road that I have waved at dogs and mailboxes
Civility starts in the home among family members and if taught properly radiates out from there. It’s odd thinking back on those years at home there was never tyranny or democracy there was only the rule of law. My mother was a secretary and my father farmed during the day and worked at the firestone tire plant at night. Neither went to college but according to how they raised us they could have been constitutional scholars. They taught us to govern ourselves. Some say that I have privilege but I say I was blessed by God to have parents who believed in civility, common courtesy and hard work.What say you?
I leave with the video below. Each time I hear it I can’t help but stand taller with misty eyes.
https://youtu.be/B2AEkfjc6-o
