Hello and welcome to Philosophy Friday; that day of the week where I discuss the importance of hard work, and why parents are stopping their kids from learning why.
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| Anvil, hammer and blacksmith, because nothing hammers out the stereotype of hard work like a burly man beating metal until it has a use. |
If you've ever accomplished something of note in your life, you've likely had to do one of two things. To learn the value of hard work and perseverance, or be pretty damn lucky. As obvious an idea, (and ideal), as it seems, it is not actually as readily apparent to everyone as you would expect. Lets talk about why that is.
Some people think life is easy, which, admittedly, is understandable in our modern era. You may be wondering why I say that and, to be honest, the answer is fairly typical of much that I blog about. Personal experience. Having grown up in the ideals and social climate of our times, it comes as little surprise to me how undervalued hard work and perseverance is. In terms of those moving through the education system, as I had been until only just a year ago, everything is done for the children up to that point. There's no need to learn to persevere when you're required by law to go to school. There's no reason to work hard when the reason for effort is not immediately apparent.
Something the older generations often appear to forget is the difference in perceptions between generations. Those who run the education system understand it's necessity and value, as well as it's importance for getting into university, having been through those experiences. Those who have known nothing but school their entire life, don't have that understanding nor the maturity to understand that things cannot remain stagnant. By the time I realized that if I didn't work hard at school, I wouldn't get into university; it was late enough to become a MASSIVE stress in my life, to the point of having heart palpitations. (I suspect I'm not the only one that happened to either.)
Effectively, children are so forced into what they are doing and largely thought for, that they lack the actual skills to properly survive once the education system spits them out on the other side. A common phrase I heard from my peers usually was that "School teaches you so many things, except for everything you actually need to know." Which is not at all an inaccurate statement. Lessons such as how to pay taxes, the dangers of credit, and why hard work is necessary are something that no school teaches and parents oft refrain from as well, stating that their "children need to be shielded from the world."
As nice as that sounds, it's not helping your kids. Think in terms of the calluses on your skin. They develop because the skin is hurt frequently, and stop the skin from being hurt as a result of their growth. So if hard work hurts your kid, how are they supposed to ever grow to deal with it when the parent is no longer there to shield them? Simply: they can't. Some life lessons can only be learnt through experience, and the unfortunate reality is that social norms are making it too difficult for children to learn them and thereby grow into productive members of society. (And that is sad as all hell. *facedesk*)
Anyone who has ever achieved anything can understand that the only way anything of true value is obtained is through hard work and perseverance. Rome was not built in a day, but it was built off the daily labor of those seeking to eventually see the beautiful city in it's finished state. That doesn't happen with people that have never known anything that hasn't been done for them.
I fear for the future generations of children who grow in vacuums of safety, only to be unceremoniously dumped into the harsh realities of the world. You really want to entrust the planets future to slackers? *shivers* I sincerely believe that change needs to happen to help people to help themselves; and that can only happen, ironically, through education. Much as I loathe the idea, parenting classes in schools, (and maybe life classes for doing things like paying taxes), would be an exceedingly good idea in terms of improving the general work ethics and morals of future generations, and make life not so difficult once we have to think for ourselves.
In any case, change can only happen once people understand the need for it; thought it might not happen any time soon. Thank you for taking the time to read today's blog post and don't forget to leave a comment if you have anything to add about the development of children in today's world, or anything in general. If you think that this is a fair argument and believe more people should become aware of this as an emerging social issue, then please share this with those you think should know as well. If you would like to see more interesting social discussions like this, then don't forget to like my Facebook page and/or follow me on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to your right. Regardless of what you do, I hope that you have/had an FANTASTIC day, and I will see you tomorrow.
Farewell my friends.
