What would you do to protect your family?
I find this an interesting question as those I have asked have nearly always responded along the lines of physical threats, violence and abuse - where they state they would kill. But, what about all of the other threats to the family, such as access to education and services, environmental degradation, social restriction and economic enslavement? In my opinion, it is fantastic to be prepared for acute violence, however the things that likely do the most harm are not acute, they are chronic and systematic and more often than not, we ourselves play a part in them.
Take health for example. While many parents are trying to currently protect their families from the affects of Covid-19, those same people do not necessarily concern themselves with the daily implications of poor diet or children living a sedentary lifestyle. While many are reading about and are worried about the collapse of the global economy, fewer seem to be working out practical ways to support themselves long-term.
The immediacy of acute pain draws the attention into the moment, but that is luckily not where most of us live daily and it is the recurring pains that affect and direct our lives. For example, as my wife and I are currently working remotely and our three year-old daughter is not at daycare, we have to entertain her simultaneously. While she has known that we have gone to work, she hasn't really seen us working to the point that we do not have the time to spend playing on the floor with her.
While this is an exceptional circumstance for us, this could be the normal position for some families and it could have a long-ranging affect on the outcomes of a life. While I do not know the outcomes, my intuition tells me that with all other things remaining equal, this would change the course of direction and even slightly from a young age, can mean a long distance in the future. This is the same with a poor diet for example, where an individual meal does very little benefit or damage, but consistency either way will change outcomes significantly.
The way we are programmed though is to focus on the immediate threats and weigh the ones that generate the most fear higher. This can be seen for example where there are many who are scared of flying due to the risk of a crash, but don't mind driving where there is a great deal more accidents that occur - or the threats of the home. In general, we aren't very good threat detectors and our ability degrades very fast the further out the timeline stretches.
This is also why most of us are not very good long-term investors, as just like the threats of a bad diet to our health, the benefits of a long position are incremental and very difficult to calculate once there are complex factors like compounding interest to contend with. Instead, it is much easier to buy now and have the mental position that one purchase is easy to make up for later. But, once this is a habit, the second purchase and the third become easier decisions to make - in the same way that sugary food can become a habitual process and incrementally the body condition worsens.
Incremental degradation and improvement are just that, incremental. There is no overnight road to death or success under normal conditions, unless an acute factor comes in to play a role, like winning the lottery or ingesting arsenic. But, small, incremental movements are hard to identify and pay attention to and even harder to be aware of long-term.
Essentially, the way to do this is to create habits that factor them in for a set and forget process that doesn't require constant monitoring or a new buy-in decision each time. Things like savings plans that take a percentage out automatically, exercise routines that give time and space consistently and meal preparations that are majority good, with enough junk to satisfy cravings. Setting these kinds of things up intentionally is preparation for a better future, or an easy position under stress, as the resources will increase and the habits will be able to be adjusted to factor in something like lockdown due to pandemics.
I find it interesting when I watch people talk about carrying guns for protection, when the most likely way most of those people are going to die is through cancer and heart disease. Protection comes in many forms and probably the most important factor for the safety of children is the information and practice required to make smart decisions under a range of conditions.
Some of this will of course protect against the potential times for acute violence, but most of it will be so that there is a consistent approach to the daily grind, so perhaps, it is less of a grind and is instead more of a life.
I am assuming that my daughter is going to outlive me by a long way and I am expecting that she will have to make daily decisions that are going to guide her through her life, which will bring outcomes and consequences that she will have to deal with. Much of life is unpredictable, but that doesn't mean we can't prepare for how we will react in uncertainty and in general, those with the personal resources will behave better than those without.
I see that the protection of my family in my daily routine through my work and interaction, including things like the money I make and how I utilize it, to the hugs I give and the stories I tell my daughter at bedtime. In my opinion, being a parent demands attention and effort applied to be a provider and that goes above and beyond just putting a roof over the heads of the family and food on the table. However, that can be a struggle in and of itself, but I am hoping that the struggle is more acute than chronic, a learning experience, rather than a way of life.
Greatness isn't made in moments, it is incrementally earned - recognized or not.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
One thing that may come out of all this lock down stuff, is people seeing and understanding that they really do not need the Government to brain wash...opps...I mean educate their children. That a lot of parents are right now learning that they can provide an education to their own children with out having to send them to a nanny state institution. Think of how much money the tax payers can save by not having to subsidize school busess, school buildings, school teachers and school administrative personnel.
No more wondering what they are feeding your kids at school for those school lunches you have to pay for. No more having to give proof that you child has been given all the vaccines that the government wants them to have. Parents are learning how to be parents again during the lock down. I don't imagine it is an easy thing to do, many people with children today were bought up by the system more than their parents, role reversal has begun, the children have been returned to the care of the parents and not to the care of strangers.
Not to mention the governments themselves. In Finland, they are homeschooling through remote sessions and parents now, and it seems to be working okay considering the lack of initial setup.
It is going to be interesting as along side all of this, many are also learning how to work remotely. Perhaps some will spin off completely.
Fucking hell she's cute! My influences as #1 uncle obviously coming into play.
So, that first image...If you insert branches of a pine tree, a look of abject fear and a few facial scratches and bruises that would exactly what I looked like when free-falling out of one of those big old pine trees as an 8 year old back in the spring of 1978...You remember the ones, near the parking garages...Ah yes, good times.
I still have a scar on my face after it got scratched by chicken wire that was being used to build a base for pine cone fights :D
You probably deserved it...
How good were pine come fights? Ah, good times.
Your daughter resembles her father and seems cute and clever.
She has my cheeks at least :)
Your daughter seems to resemble her father a lot. By the way, do your eyes resemble your mother? Hahaha
No, my eyes are similar to my father's
I wrote a typo. It means that your daughter's eyes resemble the mother's. hehehe
Yes they do, but actually, they more closely resemble my mother's eyes :)
Obviously as a non-parent it's probably not appropriate to comment...But I see many who are not prepared, or are not equipped, to do what is required for their children. Just my 2 cents worth...
At the moment it is hard as there is being prepared and then - being prepared. While not an issue here, I don't think most parents think it reasonable to stockpile nappies in case of a run on the stores.
Well said!
That is a good list of things and a bit of each every day goes a long way :)
Do remember the scene fro war of the worlds where Tom Cruise and his kids are hiding in the basement and he has to kill that guy with a shovel? The look on his sons face and the way Tom Cruise acts that scene is want of my favorite cinematic moments of all time. Anyways I always felt that when it comes to my children I would do whatever it takes to protect them. In fact I have no doubt in my mind I would do the same. As you say some of the best protection we can provide is psychological. Giving hugs, teaching lessons, and listening. Nice thought here.
Yeah I do remember that and yeah, good film-making.
Being prepared and being a provider takes more than a momentary action - at least from my perspective.
Good to see you here.
I also like the emotions around Mel Gibson and his sons in The Patriot. One of my favourite movies.
I'm not a parent and so have no clue about all of this so cant really comment much further. All I know it's that if I was a parentI feel my child(ren) would be prepared to face what comes at them in life, be able to think laterally, responsibly and take ownership of themselves and their actions. Or...Maybe they'd be complete fuck ups. Who knows.
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I thought Small's shirt said "panda food" initially and I was like O_O XD
I suppose I should say something about the actual article but we all know I only do that occasionally >_>
I am pretty sure she wouldn't mind being Panda food.