WHY YOUR KID'S BEDROOM IS A MESS

I haven’t become a papist, but, curiosity being the motive, on a long road trip I recently began an audio book of the biography of the current pope. All Truth is God’s truth whether it comes from Paul, Plato, or the Pope. (Of course, only Paul was inspired of God.) In the book it was noted that Pope has said what I have tried to accurately quote here following: “It shouldn’t be about what kind of world we leave our children, but what kind of children we leave our world.” That is Truth. That reveals the error of contemporary societies. The philosophical assumption today is that man’s problems arise from the context of his environment. If a human has the right opportunities in his environment, he will be a good, prosperous, well-adjusted, happy individual. If enough money is thrown into education, equal-opportunity employment, housing, etc., a human will turn out good. Oh, the stated objective of a better world is cloaked in terms like “peace,” “equality,” “access to health care,” etc. But, the underlying gist is, if man could just be handed the right world, he would be right, do right, have what is right. The assumption is wrong. It is the cart before the horse. Originally, it isn’t societies that make people what they are. It is people that make societies what they are. There is no denying society’s influence on people. Yet, ultimately, people are not cruel, evil, selfish, etc., because of the world in which they live. The world in which they live is cruel, evil, selfish, etc., because of the people who live in it. A better world doesn’t make better people. Better people make a better world. Children are not in trouble because of the world they are growing up in. Our world is in trouble because of the way children are growing up in the world. The kid isn’t sloppy because his bedroom is a wreck. His bedroom is a wreck because he is sloppy. The parent (or social authorities) can clean up his room but the kid will continue to be sloppy and soon his bedroom will be a mess again. However, if that child is taught be example, expectation and inspection to be neat, orderly, and clean, his bedroom will be the same. I may not be able to leave my children a better world. But, I can leave children who will better the world. More importantly, I can leave children that whatever their world, live in such a way that they are prepared for the next, the truly better world.