WE ARE RAISING CHILDREN IN A WORLD WE REFUSE TO FIX

We keep asking, “What is wrong with this generation?” But perhaps we should first ask what kind of world we are handing to them. We tell young people to be honest, yet they watch adults lie when the truth becomes inconvenient. We tell them to work hard, yet they see connections rewarded before competence. We tell them to respect people, yet they watch grown adults destroy one another over money, politics, status and pride. Then, when the children begin to imitate what they have seen, we call them a bad generation. But children do not only listen to what we say. They study what we do. A child who constantly watches adults solve problems with violence learns that violence is strength. A child who watches people become celebrated because of wealth, regardless of how that wealth was acquired, may eventually believe that money matters more than character. And when a young person grows up seeing hypocrisy everywhere, telling them to “be different” becomes much harder when we refuse to show them what different looks like. This is why changing society cannot begin only with politicians, schools, churches or parents. It must begin with examples. Because the next generation is watching. They are watching how we treat people who cannot help us. They are watching how we behave when nobody important is present. They are watching what we celebrate, what we tolerate and what we condemn. And eventually, they will build their own version of society from what they learned from us. That should frighten us. Because one day, the young people we complain about today will become the teachers, parents, doctors, leaders, pastors, entrepreneurs and decision-makers of tomorrow. They will carry our lessons into places we may never reach. So perhaps the question is not simply, “What kind of children are we raising?” The deeper question is: “What kind of adults are we showing them how to become?” We cannot demand a generation of integrity while normalizing dishonesty. We cannot demand responsible leaders while celebrating irresponsible people who happen to be successful. We cannot demand kindness from young people while teaching them through our actions that people are only valuable when they are useful. And we cannot keep blaming the future for problems that the present refuses to confront. The world our children inherit will not be built only by the decisions of famous people. It will also be built by the everyday choices of ordinary people. By the parent who chooses honesty. By the teacher who refuses to humiliate a struggling student. By the leader who refuses to abuse power. By the young person who chooses character over applause. By the person who returns what does not belong to them. By the Christian who actually lives what they preach. These choices may look small today. But society is built from small choices repeated by millions of people. So before we complain about the next generation, perhaps we should look in the mirror. They are watching us. And whether we realize it or not, we are teaching them what normal looks like. The question is: Will they be proud of what we taught them? ©️ Sammy Góld

Other insights from Sammy Góld

Referral Earning

Points-to-Coupons