These Kids are All of Us

It’s human nature for adults to dismiss the young as morally and intellectually inferior to themselves. To believe that each succeeding generation is more selfish, greedy, lazy and unfit than the one that came before. It’s ever been thus. According to Bartleby, Socrates(469–399 B.C.) himself said,

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.

And he not only taught Plato who taught Aristotle, he also helped Bill & Ted pass their History final and avoid military school.

Well I believe that. I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. And here’s Mrs. Jonto’s class, showing all the beauty they possess inside and proving me right. Demonstrating that they are better kids than we were. Sure, at their age I might have tried to grow my hair out like my Patriots hero Tim Fox. (Who once led the team in tackles. While playing free safety. Which tells you how bad they were. So bad we called them “The Red Sea Defense” because a bunch of Israelites in sandals could walk right through them.) But if I ever wore my No. 48 jersey to school, I was a minority of one.

These kids are what give me hope for the future. Instead of being a bunch of carbon blobs, living their lives as automatons drooling out of their slack jaws with their eyes permanently affixed to a screen like Wall-E characters, they’re bright, laser focused on achievement and appreciating how good they have it. More like Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: TNG. It’s the kind of thing that makes a guy my age realize he’ll be in good hands when he’s old enough to do nothing every day and just sponge off working people.

And just in case you think this is just temporary and the kids in Mrs. Jonto’s class will grow out of this phase, I present you with this adorable little peanut:

That’s a mistake anyone could make, Naya. Thanks to all these parents for raising their children right. Society owes you our gratitude.