You know, it's funny, when I was sixteen, I was young and idealistic and so ready to set the whole world on fire.My father, wasn't ready to do anything like that and he wasn't ready to let me try to do anything like that either. My father, was so old fashioned and so stuck in the principals and values of yesteryear. I had so many new ideas and at sixteen, I knew just about everything one could know that was worth knowing and I just couldn't figure out why my father didn't realize this obvious fact.I struggled with this perplexing puzzle for several years. Ten years later, when I was twenty six I noticed a strange phenomenon had occurred that once again I was in awe to comprehend. Somehow, while I was busy trying to change the world between the age of sixteen and twenty six my father, managed to grow much wiser and much smarter then he had been when I was sixteen and I who knew all there that was worth knowing suddenly, found myself with new challenges in life to face and new questions I didn't always have the answers for. Would you believe me if I told you that many times after the age of twenty and even later in my life while my father was alive, I could come to him with questions or seek his advice and more often than not he knew the answers to a great deal of the questions I needed answer to. It is often quite amazing how fathers become so much wiser in the ten years that pass between sixteen to twenty six. I now realize of course my father had always had the benefit of wisdom from years of experience that fact that I didn't realize this at sixteen can be attributed to the idealistic inexperience and ignorance of youth.I can tell you now that what really happened in my life between sixteen and twenty six was really in retrospect quite simple my father, had not grown wiser. I did! At twenty six I was now old enough and wise enough to appreciate the wisdom of my father. My father passed away four years ago and I miss him. Even now each time i remember him I reflect on the value of his life and the many thing I learned from him and how his wisdom still guilds me today as I endeavor to raise my daughter.
There is a great deal of talk now within the Republican Party. Some have suggested, that if the party is to survive and be politically relevant conservatives, must adopt new ideas compromises must be made and many, in the party feel what is needed is to place younger faces out front in the public eye. There may be some truth to this, and while I realize that the art of compromise is the corner stone of politics in general conservatives, must be careful not too compromise so much that they are no longer seen as conservatives. Some conservatives, want to allow a path to citizenship when it comes to immigration reform this may be possible as long as they don't do away with American law regarding immigration in the process. Wanting the Republican Party, to be more culturally diverse is okay as long as they come in to the party fully qualified and not just as a means to attract minority votes. I think it is good to have the energy of youth in in any party new and real ideas should be welcomed as long as the energy and the new ideas young conservatives, may bring to the GOP are balanced with the maturity and experience and wisdom that the older members in the GOP can surely offer.Young conservatives, must remember that new idea's though necessary in an every changing political landscape take time to develop. Older conservatives, have the wisdom and the necessary patience, to show the younger up and coming conservatives, the best way to present any new idea's they may have. In the Republican party, the youth and energy of the younger conservatives, must work together with the older conservatives in the party, to benefit from the experience and wisdom that comes with some gray hairs. The Republican Party, needs both youth and experience and the wisdom to find the proper balance between the two. As always, my friends, these thoughts remain, just, some words, to think on.
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