Set an example for the younger generation

I decided to ask both my boyfriend and my mom what they thought about the idea that focusing beyond our families is fundamental to our public lives and commitments. I explained to them both the idea in Loeb's chapter on Values, Work, and Family that many people tend to always want more for their children, and because of that will continually strive for improving their salaries, living situation, extracurricular activities, etc. I also explained that because this is a pretty common concern, some people don't really prioritize the time to go out of their way and donate their time to good causes that they believe in.

I expected my mom not to believe that it is important to dedicate your time to a charitable cause if your family isn't 100% taken care of because this is the way I remembered being brought up. It was always all about providing the best for me, and because of this I never really got the idea that you don't have to have everything in your life taken care of and you can still take some time out of your day to help others who may not have it as good as you. In fact, i never really realized the full extent of unfortunate events that could take place, or how severe poverty could actually be. I always sort of kept to myself. It wasn't a surprise to me that my mom thought you should definitely take care of your family before you even think about reaching out to help someone you don't even know. After we talked about it more, she started to realize that what Loeb was saying made sense; however, she still stuck to her original view.

My boyfriend didn't really have a particular view on the subject. He was sort of just debating the postivies and negatives with me. He was really open to either view, but he ended up agreeing that what Loeb said was the view that made the most sense. He agreed that it is important to set examples for your children by giving of yourself to others, and to look for opportunities to teach them valuable lessons throughout doing so.

I happen to agree with Loeb as well. I honestly think that if anyone thought about it long enough, it would make the most sense to set examples for your children that will empower them to believe their voice is meant to be heard and that they can make a difference. I think that a lot of times people just really want to be a good parent, so they are just concerned with doing what is immediately good for their child and this idea may just not occur to them. I hope that I can keep this idea in mind when raising my children, and that I can empower them to speak up for what they believe in.