"Of course, that's just my opinion, and I may be full of shit"
- Dennis Miller -

Since this opinion was considered in great detail, it will be difficult to change my mind. However, it's not impossible. I am always open to reason. I welcome thoughtful, logical, response.

To boot, elders were to be respected. My grandfather used to tell me "watch your rear view mirror as much as where you are going". Tips of wisdom like this have done more than just help me avoid speeding tickets. Someday, I look forward to filling young ears with my opinions.

What about now? Does our society appreciate the gifts we have among us? More than ever! Michelan babies are held on a pedestal. Plastic knees and hearts flow freely into old bodies. But how about the rest of us, where do we stand?

Imagine this: I don't want children, though I sometimes enjoy their company. I respect elders, but I recall much of what they have done. In each of these groups, as for all age groups, colors, and creeds, there are good and bad individuals, and no one is worth more than the rest of us just because they fall in a particular category.

Unfortunately, realistic evaluations of worth are often considered blasphemy. In their zealous pursuit of something to believe in, many people become bias. They value individuals based on age, race, sex, or some other unfounded generalization. That is to say, you are great and valuable not because of who you are, but just because you are a kid or and old person.

Of course this is not only caused by the need to believe in something, it is also the fear of passing judgment. Rather than evaluate individuals on their own merit, it is much safer to champion a group without reason. Perhaps then, individuals can avoid being judged themselves. Perhaps then, when they are old, a precedent will provide for every whim they might have.

To praise children, elders, or any other group, is a noble cause that hides all sins, and covers all eventualities. In the glory of the mission, it is forgotten that to raise one group, another is left by the wayside. The damage done, and the inappropriate motivations are forgotten in the whirlwind of emotion.

Equally important is that an individual praised without merit, looses motivation and gains a feeling of immunity -- they become greedy. Of course, avoiding gratuitous praise is not a recommendation for excessive negative feedback, nor a suggestion to avoid positive support. It is a call for appropriate feedback, without which people lose track of values.

The correct balance can only be reached when people become comfortable with their own worth, so that they can interact with others on an appropriate levels rather than having to hide behind artificial labels. People of all ages have something to offer. Credits, and needs, must be evaluated on a level playing field. Children are not immeasurably valuable, nor is life to be saved at any cost. 

It seems romance has gotten carried away. What I mourn is the loss of moderation. I am all for artistic manifestations of romantic feelings, but daily life need not be so affected. Social karma is once again out of whack, something for which we all pay the penalty.

What I want is for people to recognize that the Michelin tires on your car should be for the safety of all passengers, and that every naturally deteriorating human should not be rebuilt just because we can. Current attitudes are removing incentive for our youth to earn respect, and is making our society go broke, despite the fact that we work ever harder.

In attempting to protect our own little future, we are actually selling it out.