Following in our Footsteps

Demographer Phillip Longman claims that the "liberal" world view is at risk. (The Demographics of Liberalism) It seems "faith and family" types have more babies, and since more of those folks currently identify as "conservative", then the conservative world view is likely to win out. Hmmm. I'm not buying it.

First of all, "faith and family" and "liberal" or "progressive" aren't mutually exclusive value systems. On the contrary, my own politically progressive views grow largely from my understanding of the nature of God and my concern for the future of children around the world, including my own. (I realize that the current trend is leading more religious people to the political right, but trends tend not to last forever.) Second, while I agree with the commentator that over time, people tend to adopt the values of their parents, there is more to the story. I think it's incorrect to assume that there will be no re-interpretation of those values, no molding and shaping of the details by next generation.

While it's comforting to think that children re-shape their parents' values when referring to people who think differently than ourselves, it gets a bit more tricky when we apply that same formula to our own children. I think those of us who take the time to carefully and consciously develop our beliefs and values can easily make the mistake of assuming that our children will adopt our way of thinking. After all, it makes so much sense to us! We find ways to indoctrinate them, either subtly or overtly. The more out-of-the-mainstream we feel ourselves to be -- either to the right or the left -- the more we are likely to do this. We feel the need to counter-act the popular culture, but while our children are young, we seldom really fear they will reject our world view in any significant way.

Meanwhile, many of us have happily taken the scissors to our own parents' world views. We've cut and stitched the parts we liked, tossed the parts we didn't, and added in some scraps from other sources. We've created the unique patchwork quilts that represent our own ways of being in the world. If we are intellectually and spiritually healthy, we are still ripping out stitches and adding pieces here and there from time to time.

It's naive to assume that our own children won't do the same one day. A part of me would love to see my kids grow up and think like me, but I also want them to be who they are meant to be. I will keep my scrap bag of beliefs open so that they may take as many pieces for their own quilt as they wish. I'll try not to give them the hard sell. (No promises!) My only legitimate hope is that they keep the basic pattern of my quilt -- love for family and humanity, integrity, honesty, spirituality, kindness. As long as they hold these most basic of values, what will it matter if they vote for a different candidate than I do or march for a different cause or *gasp!* refuse to buy organic? ;o)

I believe these core values are the ones most reliably passed down from generation to generation. I also believe these values transcend political affiliations, social causes, and even religious beliefs. My own views on certain issues differ significantly from my parents' views, but my core values are rooted deeply in my family of origin. I am thankful to my parents for offering these values in an atmosphere of love, nurture and safety. I am blessed to offer them on to my own children in the same manner.