Politics and Parenting

 Sitting comfortably while my baby sleeps, I read a book on parenting.  The author says, and I agree, that the goal in parenting is to teach your child to be self-governing-that is, to be self-controlled and to do what's right without having to be told to.  It dawns on me that that is just what society needs--people who do what's right without having to be told to.  I am not for anarchy;  after all, there will always be extreme cases where people need to be told what to do, and they need to face the music when they fail to do what's right.  If someone breaks into someone else's home-even though their conscious tells them that's wrong- then that person needs to go to jail.  They were incapable of self-governing, and they needed the authorities to step in and make them face the consequences of their actions.  Some adults need to go back to the basics and learn to self-govern and show self-control.  No, ALL adults need to continually practice self-control.  We need to all be continually examining our hearts and doing what is right without having to be told to.  In this area of life, as in so many others, we are never done.  There is no finish line.  The need for self-examination is a constant, something that will be with us throughout life.