“Reaching Out to America’s Future”
 
 

    America’s future rests solely upon the shoulders of today’s children.  For this reason, we as a society must do all that is in our power to educate and build character in America’s youth.  They need guidance on what is right and what is wrong, and how to conduct themselves in our world.

    Creating ideal Americans starts with family values.  If children are to do the right things, we need to teach them what is right and what is wrong.  The best way to teach them is to be a role model.  Younger children can easily be confused or misguided.  Our job is to show them how to be honorable citizens of this country.  Not only should America’s youth be taught good from bad by their families, they need to be able to make their own decisions, too.  Instilling our values in children will allow them to make wise choices.  When future generations take hold of this country’s reigns, we need to make sure that they’re capable of making well thought out decisions.

    Even now, some of America’s youth has trouble making decisions.  For example, teen pregnancy has become more common in the past years.  If families educate teenagers about what rearing a child really involves, teenagers would think twice before getting pregnant.  Also, teaching kids about the likeliness of getting an STD would likely keep them abstinent.  Parents need to teach their kids careful decision making.

    Good manners and compassion are superlative virtues to posses, too.  As young adults grow older, they need to be reminded about common decency and courteousness.  In addition, teaching them to be compassionate and helpful to each other will only benefit us all.  As a society, we should stay closely knit, lending a hand and ear whenever summoned.  Listening to others is just as important as voicing our opinions in this democratic government.  Not only should America’s future successors be compassionate towards each other, but the environment is something to respect, too.  More than ever before, the earth is a fragile egg, and we need to be careful not to drop it.

    How will our offspring be able to help each other and the earth?  If we can give children a strong educational background, they will highly benefit from it.  If we can inspire them to question and search for answers, we have reached one of society’s ultimate goals.  In order for humanity to advance and become better, encouragement must be given to progress in our understanding of the world.  Transcending into a better future also requires that our children remember their history and their heritage.  We’re obligated to hand down our ethnic tales, family stories and history, and our country’s history.  If we can identify our mistakes and improve upon them, we can only better ourselves.

    Out of everything that we could ever leave to our children, the most important is the idea of democracy.  Our ancestors stood up for what they believed, and they created a nation with the people’s voice as a government cornerstone.  It is imperative that we keep the people’s voice alive forever.  In order for our nation’s needs to be met, the citizens have an obligation to tell the government what’s unjust.

    If our children of every race, creed, and gender work together, the entire country will flourish.  We must all set aside differences and remember that the American Spirit runs through everyone’s blood.  Children are the future carrying the torch of democracy.  Don’t allow the torch to die.  Let us reach out to America’s future!

By: Jonathan
Posted with his Permission October 12th, 2001