america's health goals!

[hikerchick]

I have found it very helpful when I've been smacked across the side of the head by someone pointing out my own hypocrisies. It showed me where I needed change.

Exactly!

Same here. When I screw up, I might not want to hear it at the time, but it has led to change and improvement....
slowly but surely.

Hubby and I have pointed out every dumb thing we did as a young married couple to our oldest son in the hopes he would not make the same mistakes himself. A few he just HAD to learn on his own, but for the most part, he watched his friends do them instead

For a 21 year old he is pretty level headed. A few friends he hadn't talked to in a couple of years reentered his life recently. He told me he told them things they didn't want to hear (about friends, a girl friend in one case, or a family member) so they stopped being friends. Now these guys are back telling him he was right all along. Their friendship is stronger than ever now, they both learned, and now they can go forward.

Oh ggod so maybe if you go visit the inner city they will carry you around on their shoulders and cheer for you for all the help you have been to them.

 

[Wifezilla]

Naaa...they can save the parade for all the community leaders and church leaders I pointed to earlier in the thread. You know...the ones that aren't whining, but are actually changing people's lives despite the nay sayers and critics.

 

[hikerchick]

I am neither a nay sayer nor a critic. I am a person who has actually escaped from the inner city - from a family that lived for generations in inner city poverty.

I think I know something about the subject.

Of course, no one knows as much as you do about anything. You've been pretty clear about that.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Here's another quote that seems appropriate:
"We don't enjoy being disciplined. It always seems to cause more pain than joy. But later on, those who learn from that discipline have peace that comes from doing what is right."

There will always be those who say thus-and-such cannot be done. That doesn't mean that it actually can't be done, it just means that those who say it can't, won't be the ones doing it.

 

[ScottSD]

This reminds me of a discussion I had with my 7th grader after a tough basketball loss recently.

I coach his team and they lost....the officiating was NOT very good and he was blaming the ref's for the loss.

I admit, the officiating was very one sided and it was definitely NOT fair.

I told him life is not fair.

I told him that when he was blaming the ref's for the loss, it meant he was not taking responsibility upon himself for what HE could do to win that game. I told this to the whole team. That each of them must find it in THEMSELVES...asked what each of them could have done to win that game.

Not blame the ref's .
Not blame one another.

Ask themselves what they could have done.

You know....kind of like asking how each of them could be self-sufficient doing their job as part of that team.

I told him....a man takes responsibility...a child blames others for their problems.

Not a bad life lesson.

 

[Wifezilla]

Great lesson at that age.

 

[ScottSD]

Great lesson at that age.

Isn't it our job as parents to prepare our children for life?

To teach them how to be self sufficient and not dependent?

Life isn't fair. Deal with it.

 

[hikerchick]

There you go - life is not fair. So expecting everyone to start at different points and end up in the same place is kind of unrealistic. Someone may overcome tremendous obstacles and still not end up where you are because you had a head start. So maybe we should give people credit for doing what they can do despite limited circumstances instead of looking down on them because they haven't accomplished what we have.

 

[ScottSD]

There you go - life is not fair. So expecting everyone to start at different points and end up in the same place is kind of unrealistic. Someone may overcome tremendous obstacles and still not end up where you are because you had a head start. So maybe we should give people credit for doing what they can do despite limited circumstances instead of looking down on them because they haven't accomplished what we have.

Who said anything about not giving them credit or expecting everyone to end up at the same place?

Wouldn't that be equal distribution?

 

[noobiechickenlady]

I don't think the point is that everyone ends up on the same level, I think it is more that everyone can do something. Maybe not the same things I do, or you do, but something. Whether to educate themselves, to better their life, their health, or financial circumstances.

There is almost ALWAYS something that a person can do to make their life easier/better/healthier.

It's just a matter of learning & doing.