We are all born liberal. We need to be raised Right in order to be moral, mature, wise and responsible.
The average 15-year-old in 19th century America and earlier was engaged in what we consider adult responsibilities.
- John Quincy Adams started his political career at age eleven traveling as a diplomatic assistant in Europe; he then served as an ambassador assistant in Russia at the age of fourteen.
- David Farragut, the famed 19th-century maritime officer, started his naval career at the age of nine and was given command of a captured British vessel at twelve.
- Laura Engels Wilder was a public school teacher at age fifteen.
The maturity that earned these three adult responsibilities was not unique among young people but was typical of most teens throughout world history.
At some point, parents confused maturity with “independence” and granted their immature children autonomy early in life without having taught them the three elements of maturity: Self-control, Wisdom & Responsibility
Today’s kids may learn “survival” skills and increase in sophistication, but they do not grow up as mature, responsible, wise adults.
A self-controlled person has all the normal passions but is not ruled by them.
Wisdom is not the same as being smart; A wise person learns from mistakes, makes sound decisions and handles stressful problems with reason and a level head. People with wisdom are rational because passion does not cloud their thinking.
Responsibility means accepting personal accountability for your own actions.
We have a moral problem today for one simple reason, a lack of self-control. The inability to say NO to every whim and passion.
[Source: Born Liberal, Raised Right by Reb Bradley]