Generational Apology

To My Children,

I owe you an apology! Neglectfully, it was I (*my generation, collectively) that did not pass on to you (*your generation collectively) what was shown to me by my own parents (*their generation) about the concept of VALUE. My belief that “it is never too late” has spurred me to communicate something I* should have communicated to you* a long time ago.

*Value* is what got lost during our* quest to provide for you. We* wanted you* to have everything. We* bought more, worked harder and got more. Overwhelmed, we* looked around at the mounds of “stuff” that accumulated. There was no time to deal with it all. The solution (or so we thought) was to throw away old and buy new. Repairs would require time, time we just could not spare as we climbed the income ladder. Manufacturers complied with our new habits and the quality of items decreased as we filled our garbage bins!

There were two concepts that my parents* practiced while I was growing up and they fell by the wayside when I* raised you*.
#1. Avoiding senseless waste.
#2. Avoiding unwise spending.
Senseless waste + unwise spending = what you see now, a littered Earth during a crumbling economy.

The current times show waste piling up all around us, littering landscapes and filling waterways with toxic material. A new awareness of care for our planet is now mandatory. New ideas of reducing accumulation of senseless waste mandate the changing of our old ways.

Our current economic situation stems from senseless spending. Spending more or spending less will not spur the recovery of our failing budgets. How we spend and when we spend will be the determining factors that will help to redirect the current financial downturn.

You see, *VALUE* is the key… it’s about placing importance on what is important. Now is the time to look around and be aware…everything that is happening now will generate a debt. A bill that you* will have to manage when I* am long gone.

You* are now on the brink of a pivotal era and along with the huge debt left to you will also come some of the biggest investment opportunities that may be seen for decades to come. At the same time, there will be new ideas about how to preserve land, food, and water for your children’s children. Be ready! This could be your biggest break of a lifetime!

… And then you will be the Teachers* …and pass on what you* learned about *VALUE*