Homeschooling our two sons during middle school is one of the all-time best decisions that we as a family made on the Front 9! There are hundreds of reasons why and the one that stands out in my mind the most was being able to slow time down, take away distractions and focus and give analogies to them in terms they could relate to.
I will never forget one winter morning looking across the table at Thomas and Brewer with their “bed heads” while reading and studying history. The one thing I might note that the boys loved about homeschooling was that they could roll out of bed, eat breakfast and start school in their PJ’s! LOL…..my memories are so vivid of staring at them with their “morning faces and disheveled hair!” Back to the story. We were studying the Principle of Democracy (a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting; a situation in which everyone is treated equal and has equal rights). We were also studying “Capitalism”. I enjoyed teaching about Capitalism in golf terms to my two middle school golfers! I tried to make it as simple as I could. I related the idea of “You work, you eat!” to their golf score!
I started by explaining that for golfers, the harder they worked and practiced usually meant they would see results in the form of a “lower golf score.” I set up a scenario they could understand: what if they played each other in golf and Brewer knew Thomas had decided to not work very hard that week, then on Saturday they went out and played. Brewer shot a 67 and Thomas shot a 78. At the end of their round I demanded that Brewer take some of Thomas’ double bogies and place them on his score to even things out and bring them to a more equal score. I will never forget their faces……perplexed and contorted…..and both said, “No, that wouldn’t be fair!!!!” I then asked them, “Why?” They both said because one had slacked off by choice and thus had a higher golf score. The other had worked harder and made better choices and earned his lower score. They GOT IT!!! Capitalism is a moral political system because it is the only system dedicated to the protection of rights, which is a requirement for human survival and flourishing. They understood the concept of earning what they received. I loved taking it a step further to have them consider their score on a test. If one studied more and harder than the other, but their two grades were averaged together to equal things out……..same thing….same response…….they wanted to earn what they received.
Too many times we all want to get without giving. I am not looking to get into a political argument. I am simply wanting to state a point that I/we need to be reminded of today. Our country has thrived on Freedom–freedom to vote, freedom to work, freedom to earn, freedom to invest, and freedom to worship! I cannot help but see the interference of government in wanting to equalize things as robbing all of us of the personal desire to work, earn and invest in ourselves and, instead, leaning on others for everything. Making others take on the responsibility that should be one’s individual responsibility!
We all need to understand and apply and teach the next generation that “Nothing is free!” whether they pay for it or not, someone does. WE all need to take responsibility for our lives following the scriptures which tell us:
Proverbs 21:25, “The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to work.”
Proverbs 18:4, “Whoever is slack in their work is a brother to him who destroys.”
2 Thessalonians 3:10, “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
I love the following 2 quotes:
The same President, Abraham Lincoln, who fought to end slavery said these words, “Capital has its rights, which are worthy of protection as any rights.”
Ayn Rand said, “America’s abundance was created not by public sacrifices to the common good, but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes. They did not starve the people to pay for America’s industrialization. They gave the people better jobs, higher wages, and cheaper goods with every new machine they invented, with every scientific discovery or technological advance — and thus the whole country was moving forward and profiting, not suffering, every step of the way.”
2014 can be a great year. Let’s start with remembering two very inspiring and true quotes, “The dictionary is the only place that success comes before hard work. Work is the key to success, and hard work can help you accomplish anything.”—Vince Lombardi and “Don’t be afraid of failure, be afraid of being successful at something that doesn’t matter!” –Perry Noble
Hard work aimed at the right things can be a Life Changer for 2014! Be ALL IN!