There is an old Chinese proverb that says “To know the road ahead ask those coming back”. There are many disturbing things happening in the world today.  We have the meltdown of a global economy, the progression of global warming on the environment, and the threat of our nation becoming socialized by government.  Out of all of that, there is one thing that disturbs me more than all three of those combined.  That would be the dumbing down of our Elders.

My children are young and watch channels like the Disney channel.  And I am amazed to see them portraying adults and grandparents as complete idiot’s and children as the wisest of wise.  This is not just one show it’s almost every show that I see on the channel as well as prime time channels.

Children and young adults are quickly losing respect for their Elders.  I see it on a daily basis.  Just go to a school function and you see the children leading the parents around on a leash.  What is wrong with this picture?  I have to ask myself, why are parents so naive to allow this to happen?  Parents are so worried about being their children’s friend.  They want to be cool in their child’s eye.  So much so, that they forget about being a true parent.  Being a disciplinarian is becoming an ancient practice.  When I was young I wouldn’t think about calling and elder of mine by their first name.  I was taught respect and honor my Elders.  I do not allow my kids’ friends to call me by my first name.  For some of them it is a big joke.

Today’s youth is being led and directed by their peers.  It is the blind leading the blind.  In doing this, we have become a nation of greed, hate and deceit.  So you’re saying to yourself now,” those are pretty strong words for what seems to be a small problem”.  When you think about it, you’ll realize that it was our parents and our grandparents that taught us how not to be greedy and how to love and respect all people.  When I want to fix the faucet that is leaking, I do not ask the garbage man, I asked a plumber.  When I needed to build my house, I did not ask a music director.  I asked a carpenter.

This is not just a problem with the youth.  This problem also works its way into middle aged people.  Common sense tells us to listen to the people that have made the mistakes and been around the block a time or two.  So have we lost our common sense?  I would have to say, for some people this is true.  For most, I believe the blame lies with today’s media and entertainment.

So what do we do?  This time I do not have a long drawn out game plan to fixing this.  This is a very simple one to fix and this can be done by one’s sentence.  Listen to your Elders.  Listen to the people that have gone before you.  Their wisdom is far more advanced than ours.  They have learned in the school of hard knocks.  They have made the mistakes and have had many failures.  By listening to their experiences we now know what not to do and what paths to take.