When was the last time you got dirty? Think about that for a minute.
Then think about the last time your kids came home dirty. Don’t count an organized activity like soccer, baseball or football. Instead, it has to be where they went outside on their own, decided to do something with their buddies, hung out for an extended period of time, and came home with hands that actually NEEDED to be washed because dirt would run down the drain. It’s probably been awhile, hasn’t it?
There’s a life lesson in there somewhere about the importance of getting down in the trenches and soiling your hands. If you don’t get dirty, you ain’t living.
We need that lesson in today’s world. It seems like everyone wants the shortcut. Cheat, lie, steal, undercut someone else, puff yourself up to be someone you’re not.
It’s not a new syndrome, nor has it snuck up on us. The seeds of laziness and buffoonery have been upon us for many years, but it does seem like more and more people want to wash their hands after they haven’t done anything.
The easiest fish in the bowl to shoot is the reality TV shows that so many people sign up for, assuming they’ll become a “star.” There is no factual basis to back up that statement, but one can certainly argue aggressively that a lot of people who audition for “Survivor,” “Big Brother,” “The Bachelor” or any of the many other reality shows populating the screen these days think that their exposure will allow them to make it big. They assume the power of their personalities will win over the viewers, I guess.
The producers do look for likeability qualities, and for those contestants who will create chaos by playing the villain. There must be bad guys, of course. By role playing – good or bad – people think they will get exposure, win some money or receive a shot at fame and its attendant bounty.
You don’t get your hands dirty in most reality shows. Instead, you hang out, shout who you are in the vain attempt to get more camera time, and then presume this will make you successful.
School is another example where the upcoming generation doesn’t seem to want to get their hands dirty. Though this is only one egregious example, a close friend of mine does a lot of work in our local high school and overheard a girl who participated in a team sport voicing how she didn’t know how she could improve her grade to keep her eligible to play.
Hello!?!?!? Have you heard of STUDYING? Have you heard of doing your homework? Have your heard of asking the teacher questions when you don’t understand something or seeking additional resources to help you overcome a difficult subject? I guess not, because the girl just presumed she was done.
She could choose to get her hands dirty and work harder. Fewer and fewer people seem to recognize that to get something out of life, you have to put a lot into it.
Maybe families are missing bars of soap at home. Kids don’t want to get dirty because they have nothing to wash their hands with. I don’t know.
A day well-played as a child was one where you came home with torn jeans, grass stains on the knees from diving on your belly, tree bark ground into your hands from climbing up branches. If you took a bath at night, there was a dark ring of dirt left as residue in the tub as the water drained out. That left a testament to a day of activity, accomplishment and fulfillment.
Then think about the last time your kids came home dirty. Don’t count an organized activity like soccer, baseball or football. Instead, it has to be where they went outside on their own, decided to do something with their buddies, hung out for an extended period of time, and came home with hands that actually NEEDED to be washed because dirt would run down the drain. It’s probably been awhile, hasn’t it?
There’s a life lesson in there somewhere about the importance of getting down in the trenches and soiling your hands. If you don’t get dirty, you ain’t living.
We need that lesson in today’s world. It seems like everyone wants the shortcut. Cheat, lie, steal, undercut someone else, puff yourself up to be someone you’re not.
It’s not a new syndrome, nor has it snuck up on us. The seeds of laziness and buffoonery have been upon us for many years, but it does seem like more and more people want to wash their hands after they haven’t done anything.
The easiest fish in the bowl to shoot is the reality TV shows that so many people sign up for, assuming they’ll become a “star.” There is no factual basis to back up that statement, but one can certainly argue aggressively that a lot of people who audition for “Survivor,” “Big Brother,” “The Bachelor” or any of the many other reality shows populating the screen these days think that their exposure will allow them to make it big. They assume the power of their personalities will win over the viewers, I guess.
The producers do look for likeability qualities, and for those contestants who will create chaos by playing the villain. There must be bad guys, of course. By role playing – good or bad – people think they will get exposure, win some money or receive a shot at fame and its attendant bounty.
You don’t get your hands dirty in most reality shows. Instead, you hang out, shout who you are in the vain attempt to get more camera time, and then presume this will make you successful.
School is another example where the upcoming generation doesn’t seem to want to get their hands dirty. Though this is only one egregious example, a close friend of mine does a lot of work in our local high school and overheard a girl who participated in a team sport voicing how she didn’t know how she could improve her grade to keep her eligible to play.
Hello!?!?!? Have you heard of STUDYING? Have you heard of doing your homework? Have your heard of asking the teacher questions when you don’t understand something or seeking additional resources to help you overcome a difficult subject? I guess not, because the girl just presumed she was done.
She could choose to get her hands dirty and work harder. Fewer and fewer people seem to recognize that to get something out of life, you have to put a lot into it.
Maybe families are missing bars of soap at home. Kids don’t want to get dirty because they have nothing to wash their hands with. I don’t know.
A day well-played as a child was one where you came home with torn jeans, grass stains on the knees from diving on your belly, tree bark ground into your hands from climbing up branches. If you took a bath at night, there was a dark ring of dirt left as residue in the tub as the water drained out. That left a testament to a day of activity, accomplishment and fulfillment.