How to take a stand …Even with No Backbone
Our future generation depends upon us to correct their paths and stand up for them.
photo credit: JAXPORT via photopin cc
Ever walk into the grocery store and have to dodge the kids skateboarding on the sidewalks at lunchtime when they should be in school. Does the addiction to cell phones and other technology make you feel there is an insurmountable chasm between you and either your own kids or those of your church or community.
How about when you drive down the street and every guy walking on the street are grabbing themselves, and have their hands in their pants like Al Bundy. I am pretty sure I am not the only one that want to tell them to pull their pants up and use a belt. The other option would be to pants them and maybe teach them a lesson, either way making it clear that it is not right or polite to publicly show their drawers.
When is the last time you witnessed a male under the age of say 25 or even 30 that still opens the door for women other than their mother or wife, or better yet even them. Since when is it okay to sleep all day, live at their parent’s house until they are in their forties. It has become a rare occurrence to hear “yes ma’am” or “no sir” to the point that we take notice of good manners when bad manners used to stand out and draw attention.
We are all to blame, each and every one of us that complain or are bothered by the young violence and blatant disrespect of authority in this country. We as a community have failed our younger generations and in turn have created a generation that has become lazy and lackadaisical.
When I was 17, I worked in a mentoring program in Harlem designed to improve the community. That’s when I first gained an appreciation of the Harlem Renaissance, a time when African-Americans rose to prominence in American culture. For the first time, they were taken seriously as artists, musicians, writers, athletes, and as political thinkers.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
As men in the community we are used to solving problems, or at least making an attempt at it and yet we all seem to be a bit dumbfounded when it comes to fixing something that we allowed to break. There are many children out there that unfortunately don’t have proper role models in their lives. Whether there is no dad, or dad is locked up or worse shot up, we have a generation of fatherless children that soon will be raising or leaving the next generation.
We can no longer afford to stand by in silence in hopes that the problem will go away or someone else will straighten it all out. There are many organizations that have a desperate need for men to step up and be a man, volunteer to help where others failed. Become a mentor for a child, teen or young man and make a difference for a lifetime.
The Steve Harvey Mentoring Program
Mentor – National Mentoring Partnership
and many more…
Imagine a world where the children and young adults had manners, respected others and themselves. What if they had someone who they could trust and confide in, someone who will show them and guide them? A man in their life that rather than hitting them, selling them, abusing them and using them, they support them and encourage them respects them and protects them.
We have heard for generations that we are the ones that are supposed to lead our families, lead companies and communities and yet we hide behind closed doors as they take over our streets. We would rather watch the news and sympathize with the families that have lost another way too young to violence and crime than to step out and mentor them and show them they too can shine.
You have probably seen the commercials during this past tax season where HR Block kept prompting us to get our billions back America. If only we focus on getting the juveniles in our country back America. Help them get off our streets, out of our jails and back into our schools and into the workforce.
Welcome them back and show them the ropes, be the man in their life that accepts responsibility and holds them accountable to becoming the next generation of leaders and fishers of men.
No matter what walk of life you come from or what your life experiences have taught you, you can mentor someone else. You don’t have to be a natural leader that exudes confidence to instill confidence in someone who never has had someone to stand up for them.
Now its your turn: Do you currently or have you mentored someone, ? If so first off ‘thank you ! ‘, secondly where and do you care to share your experience?
About Charles Johnston
Charles is a Christian, husband and father of fur-kids who shares his walk with others in hopes to help other's along the way.
Being an instructor at a Cosmetology school I am in a direct position to mentor. Mostly female students, but I get to show them what it’s like to be treated with respect by a male.