It seems iike people are greedy and think of themselves more now than they used to.

The politiciians are corrupt and so is Wall Street. We were led into war by misinformation.

People gave out false information to obtain home loans, etc, that is why they lost their homes. They could not afford them.

What happened to honesty? Is it vanishing? Did we used to think people were honest who were not?

Is character an issue anymore and is it taught in school?

12/4/2010


Alice..

Honesty, Character, Morals and manners are taught
in the home, it's up to the parents to show the way..


Cheers..Joe

Parents born after WWII adopted a new attitude to bringing up children. Those parents are now becoming grandparents and finding that parenting has changed yet again. No sweets (candies), no sodas, no treats between meals. Grandparents used to be able to spoil their grandchilden -- who burned off all the excess calories running around and having fun. Today's kids spend too much time playing computer games and watching television and too little time exercising.

With both parents out at work earning money for all this electronic gadgetry and expensive holidays, children have to entertain themselves. They end up thinking only of themselves -- the me me me generation.

12/5/2010


I agree with Shelagh..I was born the late 40's, my Mother always
knew what we did, homework after school, then you could go out
and play, their were no computers, no gadgets, you made up
games with other kids and when your Mother said be home at 6PM
for dinner , we'll you better be there, no excuses and she always
knew where you were, it was telephone, telegraph, the neighbors.
My mother believed in the way she was raised, that's how we were
raised, she had a girlfriend named Gracie, you were told you either
called her Aunt Gracie or Mrs. Heeriline.....That was the good old
days. Today kids are allowed to rule themselves, that's wrong..


Cheers..Joe

I think that character is still there, just expressed in different ways, because of the different perspectives that all of your responses have pointed out.

May I use a personal example? My daughters and I come from different generations and different ways of looking at the world. In particular, we have different ways of looking at the mother/daughter relationship.

I had serious problems relating to my mother from a very early age. While she occasionally abused me, she regularly used me as a means of bettering her own interests, and that was more significant in my attitude toward her. At least, this has always been my perspective. In spite of that, I always thought of her as my mother and recognized an obligation to her. As a child, I obeyed her, or accepted the inevitable punishments when I chose not to; as an adult, I recognized and fulfilled my obligations to her, and after she could no longer take care of herself, I took her into my home, and reversed the roles and took care of her.

My daughters and I, from my perspective, had a much better relationship when they were children. I honored their needs whenever I could and gave them the freedom to be themselves that I missed in my own childhood. When, as adults, some problems developed, they chose to walk away from having any relationship with me for a period of several years.

But during that time, I learned that I did not need their approval to feel good about myself, and that I did not need to carry responsibility for any unexpressed unhappiness they felt as children. They, during that same period of separation, learned that my presence, or lack of it, in their lives, did not have a significant impact on the choices they made, or on the resultant consequences of those choices in their lives. They eventually came back, on their own accord, and today, our relationship is a strong one, based on mutual appreciation rather than empty obligation.

It is not as though that period of separation did not exist, nor that it was not painful on both sides. It is more about acceptance of the needs of the other, and a recognition of the value of the other's choices.

I think that young people today live in a different world than the world we grew up in, and so, require different means for approaching their lives and relationships.

We cannot judge them by our standards, for they live in a different world, and must make their choices accordingly, based on what is best for the reality they live in.

Ann

I think children hold the hope of this world. They believe stuff we used to believe before. They believe in miracles. They see with joy.

I think that character or the lack of it is often interpreted by what our own idea of character is. It means nothing other than that the person whom we consider has none does not agree with our idea of character.

Love,
Betty

As usual, Betty has said the thing much better and in far fewer words than I.

Good post, Betty.

Ann

Thank you. All of your answers were interesting and on target. I heard a sermon on character and that got me thinking on the subject.

Ann, I am so glad you broke the cycle and so did Betty. Your children and grandchildren will be grateful to you.

I realize my mother did not like me and I don't blame her. She did love me and did the best she could. That is all we can expect and each person's ability differs.

Every generation bemoans the succeeding generation's behavior.

"These kids today...," "Why in my day...," "They'd never survive in my outfit..."

It has always been thus and it will always be thus.

Perhaps it's because we tend to recall only the best of times. For example, folks often look back on the 1950s and say, "Those were simpler times." Yeah, right. Segregation, McCarthyism, polio, and, worst of all, no air conditioning.

Al,

You sure hit that right about the air conditioning and most kids are fine--just fatter now.

The grown -ups are the problem, not the kids. The grown-ups are in charge.


The good old days weren't so good and a lot was covered up. Women were abused and so were children. We just didn't know what was going on.
Our children will probably looik back on these days as very good.

Al is right about the bemoaning. That is because older people do not want things to change. They have worked so hard for the times that they lived, but living is fluid. Like water over rocks, it never can be the same or go back. The trick is to look with forward eyes and temper it with the experience of the past. It all connects like dots in a puzzle. No one ever solves the riddle of life in their life time because the answer to the riddle always changes with the times.

Every day is a new day and a new chance to open the mind.

Love,
Betty

Bettty, You are so wise.

Dear Alice,
Today, I got the tree. It is a lovely 8 and 1/2 feet. Just the smell of it makes me happy.
I look forward to tomorrow.
Love,
Betty

Dear Betty,

Please post a picture on Joe's thread so we can all see it.

Thanks.

I don't think people lack character, but a question of what kind of character.