Joy Enemy #1

     I've discovered through years of introspection that one of my key talents in life is helping people to see other options.
     "We've always done it this way!" is Joy Enemy #1. Let's take a look at this on a variety of scales. At the international level--we've always solved conflicts via war. This is becoming increasingly unacceptable as humans are waking to the idea that there are other options.
     At the national level, there is a huge expectation for the government to fix it, whatever "it" is. Truly this is a fairly recent phenomenon, less than 100 years old. Waiting for the government to fix something is futile. Consider other options, like employing the awesome creativity and resourcefulness of the American people.
     At the personal level, we tend to get so enmeshed in our habitual ways of doing things, that we don't even take time to consider other options. Here's one to blow most parents' minds: if your child is older than 10, they can do their own laundry. This supports their resourcefulness, and helps them understand consequences (such as the social embarrassment of stinky clothes). And it frees parents to do something more fun than laundry.
     There are many commonly-held beliefs that are bullshit, such as:
     1) Taking good care of oneself is selfish.
     2) A parent's job is to keep the child happy.
     3) A parent can't allow a child to fail--it will make the parent look bad.
     4) Change is to be resisted.
Well, if these are bullshit, what are the other options?  I'll let you ponder those a bit.
With an open mind,
Leta