I can’t believe that I have to tell you this…

The world we live in is so backward sometime.
In an age of participation trophies and lifetime welfare recipients, it’s no wonder we have forgotten some of the old ways.

I’m all for giving a hungry man a fish (and teaching him to fish.) Helping the poor is a priority and something I value. When I needed help, people helped me. I would be foolish not to believe that it matters.

But that’s not what I’m saying.

What I’m saying is – if we’re not careful to teach the old ways – we lose the very cultural values that make us great.

Helping the poor is one of them, surely.

But so is this one: Work is its own reward.

A life with value is a life of hard work. Not slavery, not unfair working conditions – but good old fashioned hard work.

There is value in picking the tomatoes you planted, cashing the paycheck you earned, and enjoying the simple fruits of your labor.

Let’s not forget that, and let’s reclaim that cultural value for future generations.