Submitted by The Dissident Dad via Mike Krieger's Liberty Blitzkrieg blog [6],
When recent headlines range from a women going to jail for not mowing her lawn [7], to the tracking technology embedded in each of our cell phones, you can get easily depressed and discouraged simply by being aware of the world you live in.
I remember when I first announced that my wife and I were expecting a child. I received a multitude of angry feedback from my YouTube channel subscribers about how it is reckless to bring a child into this world. My response then, as it is now, is that we should never allow the oligarchs to dictate or alter our life choices. You choose your destiny; not JP Morgan, not the FED, and not the bloated bureaucrats in D.C.
Looking back 3 kids later, I am very happy my children are in this world with me.
I believe the solution to the corruption that surrounds us is to raise up a new generation of sovereign thinkers who aren’t tied down to any one philosophy, but are thinking minds instead.
As a father, I know that each of my interactions with my children will shape their future – especially on special days where we do things that aren’t part of our normal fun.
Last weekend, my children and I set up a coffee and lemonade stand. I took them to the store, bought the supplies, freshly squeezed the lemonade, and used a few extension cords to plug in the Keurig. Every time we do this, I just love their enthusiasm. From making top-quality lemonade to the stellar servicing of our customers, my children are learning to be honest business people. In fact, they are having so much fun we could easily give it away for free, since many of the tips for these 50 cent cups are north of $5.
After about an hour, my son was a bit discouraged. He waved and waved, but only 2 cars stopped. And just as he was about to give up, the flood gates opened up, making about $30 in 20 minutes.
All in all, it was a good day. The children learned about an honest day’s work, how to save money, and most importantly, they learned how to move forward after rejection. Although we only served about 8 customers, my children must have waved at over 100 vehicles that waved back but didn’t pull over.
Exercising their brains to take risks, to not fear rejection, and to treat others well is something that has been in many cases, entirely removed from our educational system.
Taking risks is frowned upon at school. You need to follow the rules, listen to your teacher, and learn that any break in the ranks will result in suspension. At the very heart of thinking for ourselves is one’s ability to take risks.
Rejection at school is unfortunately borne by anyone who isn’t part of the crowd. The crowd’s center being good looking kids, sports stars and the children of influential parents. The further you are away from this group the more you feel you are on the outside. So what do most kids do? They try and become part of the crowd; conditioning we all learn. Whether it be natural or manufactured, we carry it with us later in life as we head to the polls to cast our votes, or sign the loan documents for our new vehicle, 3-decade mortgage, or college tuition. The crowd in itself is not necessarily bad, but we need to help our children think for themselves, allowing them to be able to emotionally overcome rejection.
Parents today carry a heavy burden. We need to counter state propaganda, protect our children’s minds from corporatism, while at the same time, do everything we can to teach them to think for themselves.
I try to remember the road I just traveled, my awakening during the housing bubble, 9/11, and all the fraud and tyranny I’ve encountered since. I think back to all the time I wasted watching dishonest news, lining up to vote, and getting upset over the geopolitical concerns of our “overlords.”
If those of us who value liberty take an active role in our young people’s lives, there really shouldn’t be an awakening process for them – they’ll start their lives off awake. There will be no undoing for them and no recovery from propaganda; just a life here on earth as compassionate, energetic and moral sovereign men and women.
