A Nice Night for a Stroll

[East Coast Hustle]

Excellent stuff. All the more poignant for me since I'm fairly well familiar with where you're writing about.

Character is so important.  As an old fart who is getting older it is easy for me to sound like some jaded soul pining for the golden days.  But I feel that I can objectively observe that our society is losing character.  And that our kids don't have the same opportunities to know characters, to be characters, to build character.

Sure, our schools probably throw out some Hallmark "build character" slogan, but I question how genuine it may be.  It can come off simply as another, "just don't act weird" caution. 

But our kids need the weird.  They desperately need the weird.  I would not be me if I had not experienced the weird.  If my parents didn't allow me to explore my weirdness, and to hang out with the other weirdos.  You can be weird and still be safe.  Indeed, I think safety is what can be harmful.

Yes because "be safe" can be take way too far afield.  It can translate into cookie cutter existence.  That you always need to wear a helmet and be wrapped in bubble wrap when walking through life.  Indeed, the world can be dangerous and it is important for our kids to keep their wits about them.  But to strip them of character, to insulate them from the weird, to isolate them from that which may have a slightly different beat.....that's not safety.

That's suffocation.

SO MUCH THIS. Very well said.

[The Wizard Joseph]

 

For both post and response.  Well put, Let Me Sing You A Lullaby.