Carrollton High School

Carrollton, Ohio

 

 

 

Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Future

By Sarah Page

Grade-12

 

 

 

Entering the new millennium, we are faced with a future full of challenges and opportunities.  Society is split in its outlook for the next century.  This thesis will identify trends and potential outcomes of current happenings in today’s society, and explore how they will effect our future. 

           

One of the basic elements in all societies is marriage. Over the centuries, marriage has survived and is still quite popular. An interesting trend occurred in the 1950’s where women entered the work force as never before. Women started to become financially secure and marriage, less necessary. Co-habitation was being explored. Although initially, it provided a sense of well-being, as marriage does, statistically longevity was significantly less. With an average shelf life of eighteen months, what impact would this have on children from such unstable families? Our society is realizing that new emphasis must be put on encouraging workable marriages for the sake of future generations.  Even the most primitive societies, as the Manus tribe in New Guinea, know the importance of marriage.  Margaret Mead points out in her book, Growing Up in New Guinea, that marriage is a good investment.  Families on both sides will provide and invest goods for economic exchange.  Enduring marriages are given high prestige, and divorced persons are given no support or economic trust.

 

Good marriages are a solid investment in the stability of future generations. Careful consideration must be given to decrease divorce rate in our society. Couples seriously considering marriage should be put through majority compatibility testing and marriage classes. The classes should be intensive and explore all avenues of problems and unforeseen circumstances that could develop in marriage.  Some might view this as tedious and unnecessary. However, one might compare marriage training to something like driver’s training. In a simulator, one can see how certain judgments can result in fatal accidents. The novice driver learns what to do in specific unforeseen circumstances and how to drive defensively in a safe fashion. So might one learn to preserve marriage and learn safe coping skills from marriage instruction.

 

After interviewing ten married couples that were asked how to maintain a long, happy relationship, all had different answers but a similar theme. The longer married couples, thirty to forty years, gave generalized answers like, respect others as you would want to be respected. The twelve to twenty  year group had more specific answers such as, allow your partner space to express his or her interests. The under twelve group were the most specific of all. My guess is that their challenges are quite fresh and on going!  Do not forget birthdays and holidays, was the most popular answer. The underlying theme for all is to learn to be unselfish. When one becomes part of two, or more, that would have to be the key to survival.

 

Journalist Richard Eckersley, challenges us as a society to be economically accountable to the children of our future. Our collective goal should be to examine economic and material growth to determine whether it truly creates a better society, a society of satisfied and happy people.  Our collective goal should not be on generic wealth, but on how it’s being distributed and on conservation of goods. Finally, we need to examine economic growth with a moral insight and take personal responsibility for its outcome.

 

Once again education would be a key element in economic accountability. Those married couples planning to raise a family should also be required to attend parenting classes. These classes should reflect our moral obligations to our children and society in general. Emphasis should be placed on parent’s obligation to devote a set number of hours for their children throughout the week. Emphasis should be taken away from providing unnecessary material gifts to children.  Time is such a greater gift.  Extra curricular opportunities should also be available to all children at the government’s expense. All people should learn that we are our brother’s keeper no matter who that person is.

 

Personal economic responsibility begins in our own communities. For example, there is a recycling station within my community, but there are no real incentives to recycle.  The message is clear, recycle if you feel like it. A small community alone, like mine, does not have a major effect on the world as a whole. However, many small communities can have a tremendous impact.  World accountability starts at home. Mandated regulations by local government either imposing penalties for not recycling, and/or creating high incentives for those that do, is

necessary  in global conservation.

 

Along with examining areas such as global conservation and economic growth, Richard Eckersley examines the effects of unequal economic distribution in his Newsweek article, “Tomorrow’s Child.”  In it, he provides statistics that races and nationalities in the US that will be growing in the next century are essentially the “have nots” in today’s society.  These include Blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans. The trend is also growing to get ahead, if not legitimately, then illegitimately. These two trends will have a major effect on our future moral and civil society. Chaos results unless economic opportunity is opened for all with particular focus on minorities. 

 

There is, however, a light at the end of our future’s tunnel.  American society has its roots in a government based on democracy and equality for all.  Americans are highly suspicious and mistrustful of centralized government. Kathleen Sullivan, in her speech before the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, points out that lawyers are particularly helpful in our democracy. They protect all individuals. More specifically, they protect minorities from majority oppression.  The public is forced to be accountable to all and responsible at the hand of lawyers and our legal system.

 

Truett Cathy, founder of Chic-fil-A and Tom Lewis, president and CEO of the Fishing School, have both developed an interesting approach to being responsible by influencing US children in need.  Both have provided them with educational opportunities. Both have taken personal interest and have hands on involvement in participating in these programs. Lastly, both feel that guidance by caring adults that instills ethics of hard work, promotes successful adults in future societies.

 

In essence, these leaders of society have made the choice to “parent” those children in need.  They have taken on the responsible role of becoming our brothers keeper. By using our talents to influence younger generations in a positive way, society as a whole wins. Children are taught accountability to make society work for the better of all humanity, not just the individual. When we care for others, we learn to trust our neighbor and know we will be taken care of in our time of need.

 

Today’s trends with their potential outcomes, have a great impact on today’s society and our future. It is a mixed bag, but one filled with promise and adventure. If both young and old become personally committed, tomorrow could be better than ever. 

 

 

Answers to Questions After Completing The Required Reading

 

Q1.  US- by watching trends, statistics on how long marriages last, concluding that married people live healthier, happier, and live longer than people living alone or co-habitate. Manus- longer marriages have more prestige in ones society, system of trading goods, if divorced none will invest or do business with them so Manus puts more importance on marriage

 

Q2.      These couples are still in their first marriage.

           

            20 years- think before you respond/ allow your partner space to express interests

           

8 years- gifts are important no matter how many years married/ if you are ever upset with your partner think of the reason you married them

           

            40 years- respect others as you want them to respect you/ don’t take life too seriously

           

            20 years- take one day at a time/ live life to the fullest

           

11 years- don’t forget birthdays and holidays/ there is comfort in going through tough times together

 

            30 years- patience is a virtue/ make an effort to find quiet time away from the kids

 

            12 years- think before you respond/ be loving and respectful

 

34 years- pay your partner at least one complement a day/ learn to relax and enjoy each others company

 

18 years- it’s important to be on the same wavelength (ex: religion, child raising, and money)/ When you take the vows “for better or worse” both really happen, you will experience it together

 

            10 years- keep a honest and open relationship/ have fun with each other

 

Q3.  According to Richard Eckersley, our collective goal should be to examine economic and material growth for our own well being.

 

Q4.  A worthy goal for our local community would be to recycle.  Either create a high incentives for those that do recycle or have the local government impose penalties for not recycling.

 

Q5.  Chaos is a result unless economic opportunity is opened for all with particular focus on

minorities.

 

Q6.  The fact the US is a democracy makes lawyers particularly helpful because they protect all individuals, especially minorities from majority oppression. Our diversity, wealth and size make lawyers particularly helpful. With diversity comes greater conflict and disagreement with social customs. Lawyers help mediate to allow individual expression among all groups. Lawyers are brought in to make society accountable for issues beyond the bare essentials to those dealing with clean water, air and health care reform.  They make it helpful and realistic to deal with people by initiating regulations for groups of individuals.

 

Q7.  I prefer punitive damages because it secures individual rights to have businesses live up to the standards that they are regulated to do.  Alternative- government incentives for practicing good business.

 

Q8.  The three ways society would benefit from the coming retirement of baby boomers:-starting up private firms that keep businesses competitive, sharing their expertise by assisting society on a volunteer level, providing opportunities for teens seeking employment by performing household tasks for the elderly

 

Q9.  My conclusion of President Clinton’s anti-poverty program is that it will not make a real impact on poverty for several reasons.

 

            1. The requirement for businesses to invest in poorer communities is being utilized more

 

            for home loans rather than for minorities starting new businesses.

            2. It is useless to provide jobs for the poor without these individuals receiving an

 

            education first.

 

            3. As minority population grows, minority businesses have been statistically growing

 

            without government involvement.

 

Q10.  Both have a better approach to influencing US children in need. They have provided education opportunities. Both have taken personal interest and have hands on involvement in participating in these programs.  Both feel guidance by caring adults, instilling hard work ethics promotes successful people.

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

Margaret Mead:  Growing up in New Guinea

Richard Eckersley:  “Tomorrow’s Child”