LIKE FATHER LIKE SON

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON 

The individual’s belief system plays an important role in the lives of all people, and can mean the difference between a happy, successful life and a disappointed series of failures. Everyone has a strong belief system and for many it never changes. What we are taught as a child remains with us throughout our lives. Everyone thinks that their beliefs are correct, but when a belief system becomes so strong that it cannot be questioned, the belief system has reached its peak, and should be given a careful examination.

For over two hundred years Americans have had several questionable beliefs that have been a detriment to the creation of a “great society.”  It is an evident fact that prejudices are handed down from one generation to another, and hand-me-down prejudices remain a vital part of social hierarchy. Just when we think we have made progress in social diversity, a bigot is elected to head the executive branch of American government. Quickly, the suppressed bigotries of many are expressed in the public arena. Citizens are harassed for speaking a foreign language. People are accosted for wearing a mask. Hate crimes have increased 400% and American democracy is in danger of crumbling. 

The American way of life is being tested in just about every way possible. When the general public disregards government regulations by the simple fact of not wearing a mask in public or not practicing social distancing, perhaps the expression of freedom has gone too far. When angry demonstrators publicly wave Confederate flags, dress in White KKK hoods, display nooses, flaunt swastikas, and arm themselves with machine guns, the break down of law and order is in danger. 

The framers of the US Constitution assumed that elected governmental officials would be so proud to be a part of a government that allows men to govern themselves, that they would be honest. They missed the boat on that one! Unless Americans wake up and come to the realization of just how deep corruption has become a part of American democracy, the greatest democracy on earth is doomed.

    

Teaching is an important aspect for the social stability of any nation. More important than just teaching is the method of teaching. Teaching is an honored service, and adults, especially parents, should be careful what they teach their children. It must be a sad experience when a father realizes that his son is in prison because he followed in the footsteps of Dad. Or a father, on his death bed, recognizes that he taught his children, if by no other means than example, to be liars.  It does not take a college degree to know that lying, cheating, adultery, making fun of the handicapped, putting babies in cages, grabbing women by their privates, and rubbing elbows with mobsters, are sins. Other than teaching for knowledge, it takes more than just the church to teach morality because social morality is important for the longevity of any nation. The way citizens treat fellow citizens determines the social environment of any nation.

“Like father like son” has proven to be a detriment to social improvement in America. With all the educating that has occurred, “parental influence” has proven to be more effective. The most devastating aspect of all of this is,  the sons and daughters of prejudicial fathers have grown up to be more prejudice and developed a generation of bigotry equal to that of the days prior to the Civil War. American democracy is in a dangerous situation!  When a bigoted fool can occupy the White House and with little effort stir up hatred to the point of citizens committing crimes against fellow citizens, prejudice has always been just one thin layer under the social surface of human behavior.