Money?
The love of money is the root of all evil. It is a potent, corrupting drug which, because it can be allied to power, can undermine any institution no matter how well protected and noble its principles may be. It rots virtue.
The poorest need it, but cannot access it. The richest have it, but cannot slake their thirst for more. Those in the middle think they deserve their place on the ladder of wealth and cannot see through the ‘Myth of Meritocracy’.
How would you describe yourself to someone?
This is difficult to answer, I think, because there is a temptation to say what we hope we are. Or wish we were. Or, the person we aspire to be and occasionally achieve on our good days.
And there’s also a danger in defining ourselves by our roles, our work, or our hobbies. I’m a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a friend, a cyclist, a musician, a cook, a writer, a blogger, and other stuff. They are what I do, but the ‘I’ behind all that activity remains distant or obscure.
Having read the above, it’s safe to assume that; 1. I think too much. 2. I’m a bit pretentious. 😀
Generation Gap
What traditions did your parents have that you have dropped? My parents grew up during WWII. I was born in 1959 into a rather different world. We used to talk about the ‘generation gap’. This described the seismic fissure that took place between the culture my parents grew up in and the one I did.
The big difference was money, as in disposable income. This led to me enjoying much more varied; entertainment, holidays, clothing, restaurants, music, education opportunities, etc, than they could ever access. I grew up in a different world, and a lot of the wisdom they could have passed on became dated.
Yet, the important lessons of family life and good parenting are immutable. Personal sacrifice, nurture of children, real love, a sense of humor, the importance of honesty, and faithfulness. I think (I hope) I have been true to their inspirational examples, even in a changed world.
Growing Up
I don’t believe there is a moment in life after which you are ‘grown up’ and before which you weren’t.
Maturation is incremental. Of course, big experiences move us on. They can be pivotal but, equally, reflecting on them after the event is key to growth.
Anyone who claims at a certain point, ‘Aha! That’s it. I’m there. No more growing up to do’ is suggesting life has nothing more to teach them, which I don’t think could be true. They may have given up on life, which is very possible.
John Poulton: Books 