Free will... how is that working for us?

One of the things that God provided us was the ability to exercise free will... to make our own decisions ... I can't help but wonder if that was truly a good thing. One look around makes me believe that free will may actually be detrimental to the human race. Every little choice we make changes our world.. and the world of those around us... if even just a little.



It isn't so much the little choices that I am talking about... the fill up the gas tank now or later... the pizza or fish for dinner... the call in sick or go to work calls... tho all of those impact our lives. Instead... for me.. the decision that I personally find frustrating is the decision to be a productive member of our world. In my opinion, more and more people are choosing not to be... and in the process are taking this world screaming down a slippery slope.



In my job, everyday I witness parents who exercise free will and reproduce time and again without any intention of taking a active role in their child's life. Unfortunately, this problem has continued to increase at an alarming rate. I am not talking about "deadbeat dads", as that is no longer an accurate label.. I am talking about deadbeat PARENTS. This is not a gender issue... it is a full blown societal issue.



It has been my experience that more and more adults are having children, multiple children by multiple partners with little or no intention of taking any sort of role in that child's life. I don't personally believe that a couple should automatically marry due to the birth of a child, however I do believe that as a parent, marriage or not, there is a certain level of responsibility that should be exercised and that every child brought into this world should be able to expect to be loved, support (both financially and emotionally), and kept safe from harm. Tragically, in my opinion most children born today are not going to have those expectations met.



I was fortunate, raised in a middle class home with parents who not only loved each other but loved each of their children. They expected and earned the respect of their children and in return supported, loved, and taught their children how to thrive in the world. My parents were willing to do anything it took to support their family. There were many times that my father worked long hours at multiple jobs completing whatever tasks necessary to meet his obligations. Back then... there wasn't any other option. My mother was 16 when my oldest sister was born. My father didn't run.. didn't slack on his obligations. No, they married and from that day forward honored their vows to one another and busted their a$$ to support their family. In the process, they lead by example and taught each of their children valuable lessons. Of their children, 2 joined the military, none ever collected unemployment, and there have been no children born out of wedlock. I dare you to find many families like that now. To be fair... the one place where each of us failed in was following the example of marriage.. as we have all been divorced... that is a sad side note.

Move forward to today where the divorce rate is staggering and more children are born out of wedlock than ever before... add to that the increased number of teen pregnancy and it is a recipe for disaster. At what point did this become "acceptable" by our society? At what point did parents begin to fail their children by not holding them to the standards that previous generations had worked hard to establish? At what point did we as a society choose to let our children off the hook and slack on their responsibilities?

This topic will surely continue.. just wanted to post this one for now..