Share

So do you ever feel sometimes like you have so much to say that it's too hard to articulate just what you want to say? Yeah, I've been sort of paralyzed lately by inertia because I have so much to say and it's all wrapped up in being a "housewife" and "Mom" while also becoming more and more alarmed at the state of our Country and planet. If I am not careful, I get so jaded that I stop caring. And then I look at my 3 boys and am terrified of what "not caring" could lead to for their future. Little daily lessons for them parallel what big things, as adults, they must learn to master.

Take greed. As kids, I'm trying to teach them to share. It's not a natural inclination to give up something you want. I think all of the World's woes can be sourced back to mankind's reluctance to share what they have. The basis of all religions is to encourage generosity, is it not? The reason for all war is over "things", be they boundaries, oil, or whether "their" religion has to share space with someone else's. And it all comes back to greed. When I think of mankind's biggest downfall, it's that we are not born wanting to share; altruism is taught. That's one of the sucky things about human beings. We're not born with the desire to give.

When I see my kid writhing in palpable pain because I forced him to give his brother a turn with a toy, I first chuckle, but then I think how this is really one of the best gifts I can give him. The opportunity to suffer, realize he's still alive, and get over it. And then the next time, he gives up his toy a little more readily. Because he's learned that sharing doesn't kill. Which some grownups seem to have a hard time grasping.

We are living in a time where sharing is becoming more and more looked down upon. Sharing for the sake of sharing is simply not done in America. You have to earn it, according to the masses. I could go on and on about class consciousness, but for the sake of brevity, I'll just say that it makes me downright sad that I'm raising my boys in the kind of World where "success" is determined by wealth and not much else. Because I want so much more for them. But we need money to survive. And some would say, thrive. I'm trying to figure out a way around that. I'm trying to figure out how to show my sons by example that sharing what little you have has rewards which can't be measured.

Which brings me back to the little daily minutiae of lessons in sharing. The epic, explosive rage expressed by my own child sure is humorous to a degree, but it also magnifies my view of my job as their parent. If I fail this teaching moment, I've become part of the problem our World is facing. Until we can all agree that this is our home and its natural splendors and resources are for everyone to share, we are just absolutely fucked. There's no pretty way around it. Since the dawn of civilization, we've had a hard time sharing.

So the inertia I feel sometimes is perhaps more like feeling overwhelmed that all these seemingly mindless tasks before me as a parent actually have really, REALLY, big consequences. And while most days I feel pretty good about the job I'm doing, it can just be daunting day in and day out. The desire to be blase about it, to just roll my eyes and bear with day after day of giving in to temper tantrums is something I have to consciously fight off some days months. Because if I give in to their demands, and let them get whatever they want, I've failed them, me, and all of you.