Our Kids Are Getting a Much Harder and Scarier World!

The parents of every generation expect and hope that their children can and will do better than they did. Ours may be the first generation, in a very long while, where it is both unlikely and unrealistic to have this expectation. This scarier world has just gotten much more complicated, much harder, and more competitive.  I reflected on this in a conversation with a friend, about how much easier we believed it was for us, as we were starting out in life.

It is inescapable that America’s pre-eminence in the world is changing.  Whether it’s the devaluation of our dollar as the standard currency or other factors, it is clear that we are weakening as the world’s super-power.  The fall-out from this translates to our industries, our economy, and the opportunities our children will have.

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Envy – One of the Seven Deadly Sins (“Just A Guy”)

I recently visited my best friend, who moved from L.A., to a small town in the Northwest.  He built a home, from scratch, supervising every detail, and with his wife, they created their dream home.  I found myself feeling a tad of envy, as he took me on the tour of the house, pointing out all the beautiful details.

As we’ve been renting for several years, the pride of ownership is just not part of our lives and our belief is that the practical choice is to stay in rent for the near future.  Our choice, certainly.  But, as I reflected on my own bout of envy, I thought about my boys and how often they’re comparing themselves to their peers. read more