06/04/2018 05:00 AM
We are about to embark on a new journey. In some respects, it’s a renewed journey.
Over the past two years, we’ve been posting weekly on our blog, CultureWeave. But from today, we’re getting more specific. Sharpening the iron. Niching down. We’re doing this because we believe the future of our world depends upon the youngest people in our midst.
Shape a Vision for Your Family
As parents of three young adult children now, we’ve experienced the blurry-eyed dizzyness of raising very young children. That sense of “your life no longer being your own” and “what day is it, really?” craziness. We remember it well.
We recognize busy, overwhelmed parents may struggle just to get food on the table and fit in a shower. We’ve been there, and get that.
But we also know it’s so important, even before having children and especially at the earliest stages, to have vision for your parenting journey, and for your family.
And we’re pretty confident we can help. We can share what we’ve learned. We also intend to nurture a community of parents, educators and others committed to pursuing a vision of excellence for their family and for our world.
We expect many in our community have already been living out a global life of both adventure and contribution before any little ones arrived on the scene. To you we say, that doesn’t have to end (though it might need to change)!
We’ll tackle that latter issue later. Here, let’s explore what it means to “Raise Kids for a Better World?”
FIRST: Raise Kids
At first glance, this may presume you have them. But, you may not – yet. If you are “pre-kid” but hopeful you will someday have some of your own to raise, what we say applies to you.
If you are “post-kids-under-the-roof” (i.e., “empty nest”), this concept can still apply to you as well. For two reasons. First, you could be – or may become – a grandparent. Chances are, if you grandparent (in the verbal sense of the word) someday, you will be passionate about those little ones again.
The second reason is you likely have close friends or family with young kids. If you do, then what we say fits you, too.
If you do not have children of your own but work with children under 18 – especially in education, healthcare, sports or multiple other arenas – then what you’ll find here is sure to resonate.
If you have no interest in children nor any intent of having kids of your own – if you’re not an aunt or uncle or other connected being – well, then, YourGlobalFamily’s mandate, Raise Kids for a Better World, may not be anything beyond theory for you. Understood.
SECOND: For a Better World
Previously, our CultureWeave tagline had been, Design Your Life for Global Good. We like that. We really like that. It’s been hard to depart from that. However, we recognize the value of getting more specific, of going deeper. And so we are.
What, really, does a better world mean?
We envision it to mean that which 1) helps humanity; 2) helps our earth; and, ultimately, 3) makes someone a more empathetic, compassionate person, especially towards those who differ from us, i.e., “the other.”
As we really thought this through, we realized our goal is to equip parents so they can raise kids with HEARTS, SMARTS & GLOBAL VISION in a very real and intentional way. So, let’s look break this down.
...With Hearts, Smarts & Global Vision: HEARTS
If the heart is hardened, it will not matter how much you “do” to make the world better. Ultimately, if the heart remains hard – in child or adult – prejudice, racism, stereotypes and all other manner or destructive thinking grows and calcifies in the human heart.
So the emphasis on the HEART with respect to children is key. Their hearts are more maleable and open to suggestion – good and bad. True – they often reflect the values of their parents, so work needs to be done at this level as well.
Genuine humility is where it starts. And we don’t just become humble overnight. It is, indeed, a journey. When we recognize our smallness relative to creation we are part of the way there. That, combined with a deep wonder and gratitude for the immeasurable value we possess as potentially contributive human beings, is the winning combination.
Truth is, to raise kids for a better world requires we are content enough, overall, with our own selves so our focus can largely be on others – our children, yes. But beyond as well.
SMARTS
From our perspective, the SMARTS part boils down to discernment. With so much information floating around in our techologically interconnected world, separating “the wheat from the chaff” (the good from the bad) requires a keen mind. Children and youth, especially, can be pulled downward in ways adults may be able to avoid.
Plus, the accelerated pace of life, love, work, thought, human interaction, technology, information, communications, politics, travel, material wealth, longeivity – and so much else – boggles the mind. The digital natives (LINK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_native) in our midst hold a vastly different perspective on life than do the generations before them.
We have become a more globally connected world, no question. But have we become a more globally compassionate world?
That’s what developing SMARTS means to us.
GLOBAL VISION
Our world really is in a mess – rife with division, acrimony, violence, hurt and pain. Much of this is out of my control – and yours.
But we can begin with ourselves. We can make changes and choices every day to move towards “others-centeredness” on the continuum of self – others. There is a place of healthy balance on this continuum. And that is what we must strive for, both personally and for our kids.
We need to recognize a vision for our world, not just for ourselves! And we need to pass that GLOBAL VISION on to our children.
There are many ways to exercise that “others-centeredness.” To lean in to the call. For some, it’ll mean political activism. For others, it might mean volunteering as an ESL teacher, helping with a beach restoration clean up, or welcoming an international student into your home for a meal. These are ideas we’ll explore more as we move forward.
Of course, it has to begin with us. Not unlike that famous song, first performed in 1955: “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” Yes, that is where it needs to start.
But it must not end there!
Our sharpened focus on raising kids is based upon the truth we all must face: it is the next generation who inherit this broken world. Simply put, we cannot afford to raise kids who don’t have hearts, smarts and global vision. The very future of our world depends upon it.
For while it must begin with us, it must extend, ever more deeply, into the generations to come. That is why, we believe, our refocus, this renewed journey to Raise Kids for a Better World – holds more consequence than ever.
If you agree, then stick with us, or join us – please.
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