Opinions

The parallels drawn between fatherhood and creating a blog are eerily similar. I awoke in the wee hours of the morning feeding my mind for the next topic to present to you. I've noticed the same responsibility as having a new born, this thing has needs! It needs to be changed, daily! A blog also craves attention, and needs to be nurtured. Like parenthood I was unsuspecting of the depth of responsibility! Quite the eye opener! Then again after the positive response yesterday, and not unlike parenthood, it's worth it.

Speaking of response, on to our topic. We were barely getting this thing into the nursery and the comments flew. "You know I don't agree with everything you say," was a common theme. Spectacular! My goal is to make you think and inform you. I'll offer my opinion, you don't have to accept it. I, like you, love my opinion, if not I'll adopt yours. Feel free to make yours known below in the comments.

You might wonder, where do our opinions come from? We are victims of our surroundings and our input. What we read or see on TV, coupled by the people we associate with, create the principles and the values we use to form our opinions. Whatever has the strongest influence in our life draws us to like thinking. Parents, siblings, teachers, professors, spouses, and friends all contribute. Media and reading material balance it out. So this begs the question, Who are you letting influence you? More important, Who are you letting influence your children?

In the agrarian age, early 1900s, when society was based on agriculture, (farming). Family's were large to help on the farm, mom and the girls worked inside the home, dad and the boys worked the fields and livestock. There was no TV, opinions were based on family, the bible, and sweat. Schooling was reading the classics, writing, bible study, and math. Not a lot of radical or progressive thinking there. You were concentrating on surviving, and taught how. A man's word was his bond and most deals were done on a handshake. If you weren't of high moral fiber and character your family suffered.

Enter the industrial age. Incredible changes occurred, the state began to be responsible for school. Gone were the days the community took responsibility for your children's education. Now instead of being taught to survive and farm, children were taught how to get a job. We jumped from the entrepreneurial days of the self employed farm, to having a boss and a defined pay check. Opinions started to drift toward a different way of thinking. Instead of being responsible for yourself and your family, now you were responsible to the boss first and the family second. The work force was small so labor was lured by benefits. Soon you were entitled to security, something never guaranteed on the farm. It wasn't too long before these opinions sought benefits as rights. Influences changed, opinions changed. No longer were families independent, now the were dependent on the company. You might argue a chunk of freedom was lost. Opinions changed because the environment changed.

Change does not come without problems. The hunger of the industrial machine gave birth to sweatshops and labor abuse. We became addicted to the dependence of a company paycheck. Enter the labor unions, born to protect the workers and their families. For a membership fee they would see that your entitlements were overseen and not abused. Opinions varied based on perspective, labor mostly saw unions as a positive, while the company viewed them as evil.

Prosperity breeds innovation. Automobiles were now a family must. The world became a smaller place. You were influenced by people from many regions. Gone were the days of not straying far from home. Influences changed, opinions changed.

Enter television.... Now the world got a great deal smaller and you didn't have to leave home to see it. Global influence was now possible. Satellites were launched, signals crossed the world. Input changed, opinions changed. We're a long way from the farm and mom and dad's influence. We are hearing the early peeps of a new age.

Kaablam!!! Enter the Internet and the information age. Suddenly we have mountains of information at our fingertips. More than we can imagine with the click of the mouse. How much of that information is credible? Herein lies the key! Our opinions are based on influence. Be cautious what you allow to influence you! Don't be played by the media, challenge information! It's our responsibility what we allow into our children and our heads.

The message here is simple. We need to base our opinions on a set of defined principles. I find a great guide in the golden rule, the ten commandments, and the bible. Allow your faith to define your opinions. It's the only constant. They don't amend the bible or the ten commandments. Seek your information from like minded sources. Form your opinions on principles based in stone, and your unchallenged. Methods are many, principles are few, methods change, but principles never do! (Thanks Chris.) So opine away, I look forward to hearing from you!

God Bless
Capt. Bill