Have you every thought about how your parents lived?  Some of the best lessons I learned were just watching my family since I was the last on the totum pole.  They taught me a lot without even realizing it.

They taught me to work hard and tell the truth – always.  Don’t cheat.  Respect your elders.   If you want to get better,  practice.  Say ” please” and “thank you,” and share.  Obey the law.  Eat to live, don’t live to eat.  Always do what you know is the right thing to do (even if no one is watching).  If you screw up, deal with it.  If  you don’t know how to do something, figure it out.

But in the end – they showed me some other things of which they might not have been aware:

Marry your boyfriend.  Then date your husband.  Listen to your kids.  Spend time at home.  Drink with moderation.  Defend your country.  Help others.  Donate your time and money.  Earning money –  and making a profit to take care of  your family – is a good thing. Make it difficult for people to tell the difference between what you do for a living and what you do for fun.  Be kind to animals.  Raise your own food if you can.  Get exercise and fresh air (or, in Mom’s words, “Go outside and get the stink blown off.”

These are all timeless truisms because they have made people successful throughout human history.

Why must every generation test them and reject them before finally coming back around to accept them?

kommonsentsjane