The most vulnerable among us are those only just beginning the journey, and those approaching the final decades of that amazing journey. Too often we fail both. It has not always been so. There was a time  in our history when family values actually were as important as they are now touted to be. The difference being the definition of those values has eroded through time to an alarming degree. It is to our shame that we have lost the ability to discern the difference. 

 What kind of world have we created when it is accepted  that children  and the elderly are so often an inconvenience in our busy lives ?  Certainly we love them, and we do recognize that they need us, but we have so much to worry about that we simply don't have the time to do more than the bare minimum to assure that they are aware of that fact.

When do we find the courage to actually look into the eyes of our children and recognize the disillusionment  so apparent there which our words or our actions have caused ? Children do not yet know how to express themselves well but their eyes speak volumes to those who will actually  see and understand.

 A child is not born with a lack of trust or with a heart filled with disappointment . That, we teach them. They watch, they learn, they begin to understand, and as they do  they face very early in life the fact that Mommy and Daddy sometimes make really bad mistakes. They are not old enough yet to know that all humans make mistakes. That no one is perfect. They only know what they observe and how they feel. And those feelings confuse them because they do love Mommy and Daddy so very much and they depend on them for their very survival.  If Mommy and Daddy say it's so it just has to be true. And so we transfer to those innocent, fragile psyches every single prejudice or attitude which has mandated our lives. And the untouched, precious innocence of childhood  begins the process of  learning that the world is filled with bad people who, because they are different than we are, must be considered an enemy. And so, the cycle continues.

 Why do we not learn even now that only when we truly act and think as our faith teaches us will we ever find that elusive peace we all hope for so fervently. Harbouring prejudice and  ill will against those we see as different only widens the chasm which dictates the attitudes of all of us. To transfer those attitudes to our children is to guarantee the perpetuation of the misunderstanding and mistrust so prevalent today ... and to increase the dangers they will face in years to come.

 Of course they must learn caution and to assess carefully where they place their trust but they should not be handicapped by our shortcomings. Have we learned nothing ? Only when  we reach out with open minds will there be any chance at all that world conditions will change.

And our omissions and mistakes don't stop with our children. We look upon our elders as all knowing when we are youngsters. Why is it that  as adults we see them more as an inconvenience than the precious family resource they are ? Might it not possibly be because they also made many of the mistakes we are now making and therefore have forfeited that trust so eagerly given as children ? How can we forget all that they gave us of themselves and the love which was always ours for the taking ? That love still exists . Why do we so often  turn our backs when we perhaps need that love more today than ever before ? And, in turning our backs we deprive our children of the wonder of learning from those who have so much they would still give so willingly. They have an entire lifetime of learning to pass on if only given the opportunity. And the love we so often take for granted and ignore is  discarded when it would be so much wiser to embrace it. And not just for our children. We would also benefit greatly by recognizing that fact.

Sadly in our rush to acquire material possessions and the accoutrements of our modern world we have lost sight of the real values which made those who came before us so much richer than we are despite the hardships they may have faced in their less than easy day to day living. Understandable but unfortunate nevertheless. Family was really important and the bonds were strong. Today, too often this is not so. It was a kinder, and for the most part, more tolerant time than that in which we live today. It has taken more than one generation to  see this change become so prevalent and it will take as many to  find that wisdom again. If we still can. It is almost too late. Almost, but not quite. 

 Yes, there was bigotry and hatred in their world, but it was controlled and only extremists carried that forward to violence as faith  was a dominant factor in most families. Today faith is used as an excuse to resurrect those malignancies which lead to so much of the hatred so rampant in today's world. How can this be rationalized ? How can we use our faith and political persuasion as weapons to divide not just countries but even families ? When, and why, did the rights of each individual become expendable ? We don't have to embrace  their beliefs. Nor do we have to celebrate them. But we must open our hearts and our minds to recognize and respect their absolute prerogative to exercise their rights  just as we expect  them to respect ours in return. Until we do there will never be  a united world where children of every creed and colour live in harmony.

We must stop and look at what we have done to our world and what we are doing to our children. And yes, I know many will say it is "them" not "us" who are doing it . But they will be wrong. We are as guilty as the most virulent opponents we face so long as we harbour hatred in our hearts for those who hold beliefs which differ from ours or who would live their lives in ways not to our liking. That judgement is not ours to make. It belongs to a much higher authority than ours. And we also will be judged by that judicial imperium ultimately. One can only hope and pray that judgement is in the hands of a more benevolent authority than we have proven to be.

 Only when we truly accept our fellow man as our brethren will we be true to ourselves and our children. Only when we again find the real meaning of 'values' will we honour our  families and the generational unity we so badly need today. Is it not time to look at where our attitudes have brought us ? For the sake of the child who looks to us  for guidance and direction with such innocent trust and faith I devoutly hope you consider my words as being more than just rubbish or liberal rhetoric and perhaps even find that you agree with much of what I have written.

 If you find it impossible to do so you do, of course, have the absolute right to say so.  That's what it's all about. Communication and understanding the differences we all face in today's world. We inhabit this planet together. Much better we do it  with a modicum of respect for one another. Would you not agree?