Devoting Time

The key to producing successful children is actually being physically near them much of the time, to give them the necessary love and attention that they need, when they need it. One of the really bad things about our society today, I think, is the fact that we have to spend most of our time away from home, making a living, and so don't have extended periods of time to spend with the family and kids. This has never been as true for mankind as it is nowadays. In the past (I'm not talking about the Middle Ages, but about relatively enlightened times, like in ancient Greece) - people from what we call today the middle class used to work less hours (there was less to buy), and had more free time to devote to their children.

The same is true of the tribal societies, such as that of the American Indian, which is the kind of society that we envision we'll have right after the pole shift. The women never wander far from the village, working in the fields or at home with the kids. The hunter-warrior males may go further afield and be absent for several days or weeks, but then they're home doing nothing for the next month. I'm not saying that this is exactly what we need or what we'll be doing, but the basic idea is that we'll be home with the children a lot more than now.

Offered by Shaul.

I heard today on the radio that in California this year, to fund a child's education for a year cost $4,500 while housing a criminal in the penal system costs $35,000. I don't know the solution to this problem, but I know that it is the dedication of the devoted teacher, often acting with inspiration and at odds with the system who has influenced my life and stayed with me all the years. Perhaps the personal aspect is more important than the curriculum, at least where the curriculum is designed to make us better cogs in the societal wheel. I agree with the idea that knowledge of basics must be preserved and taught, and hopefully by those with compassion, patience, insight and the ability to instill the highest expectations for our young. Only then can we advance as a species, not with the aim of fueling the machine but to make quantum leaps forward in personal and communal development, higher knowledge and enlightenment.

Offered by Craig.