Reflections on baby's world

I haven't let go of my baby for more than a few minutes in almost 4 days.  I can't stop looking at her and watching her-- she's amazing to me!  My wife built a person.  This is going to be the best adventure I've ever emarked upon, and I've got Morgan's whole family to be there for her.  In many ways, Morgan's blessed with all of the tools of our age-- television, computers, internet, medicine, etc.-- but I can't help feeling that she's not going to be able to use any of that without first having common sense. 

Common.  Sense.  It's something that should be inherent within each of us, but lessons are so often lost between generations.  It seems like our culture is so much poorer for it's lack of common sense.  I like to think that it was the appliance-boom of post WWII America that contributed to the fall of common sense.  Things that *really* matter, like Water Rights' Laws, keeping a watchful eye on Monsanto and sustainable living took a back seat to the latest and greatest widgets being mass-produced and crammed down our throats for fifty years.  At first it would seem like a sensible thing to do-- increasing our wealth is one of the primary things we Americans look forward to (I know I do!), and if a few sacrifices have to be made then so be it.  But when does increasing wealth just become superfluous?  When does our ability to provide for our family and loved ones cease and our purpose in life blunts?

These, of course, are just philosophical questions that could take any form of an answer.  The real question is this:

What kind of world do I want to pass on to my child?

Do I want a world of half-measures and half-assed action?  Do I want a world of broken promises and faceless, talking heads telling me what is "safe" for me to do, act, think, drink, eat, smoke?  Who are these people to tell me?  Do they know me?  There are Universal Truths to be found in this world:

1. Leave a place better than you found it.
2. Think before you speak or act.
3. Follow through on promises, even if they sometimes hurt.  Hey- you're the one that made the promise in the first place.
4. Never eat yellow snow.

There's a thousand more, I am sure, and I hope that people will post their own "Universal Truths".

That nagging question remains, though. . .  what kind of world does my generation want my child-- or yours, to inherit? 

Comments

[Jessy]

I need to drop a comment on this because he is talking about my daughter. Hormones and emotions are crashing with tiredness but Morgan is worth it. It'll be an adventure to learn more about parenting from our society and intuitions.