Yesterday's Reading Touches Today's

Yesterday, while at a friend's house, I picked up her book on temperaments. In the book, it not only described the differences among the temperaments, but also, what their strenghs were and where they most 'fit" as it concerned career. I was interested as my grand-daughter is getting ready to go to pre-school and I wondered how she would fare and what we should expect concerning her interactions with others.

Today, someone brought up the issue of authority. In the post, the Pope was mentioned. The Pope demands obedience because he is God's authority figure. Protestant Christians base their authority on Scripture, which is still a limited understanding of authority due to the differences of the authors and the emphasis of the writings themselves. Tradition throughout the ages has understood different emphasis in Christian faith. So, it is a matter of faith in how one understands. It is not about authority.

I have written before about overbearing parents, who do not allow any type of expression in the child other than what the parent thinks is right. I am hoping that what I have learned through my mistakes will help my grandchildren. Things that do not matter, as to "morality", as to the choice of vocation, is of importance in allowing the child to find what is of interest to him. This makes for a exploring of different topics, and jobs, before there is a commitment of life. Otherwise the parent has failed to help the child to form and be prepared for the future. Of course, things are different in socialized countries, as it is assumed that society will be responsible for the upbringing of the children. Ours is a mixture of personal convictions with public education being open, if that is what one chooses.

Authority is not important after one has reached maturity where one's values are clear and one's commitments are made. These are personal decisions that must be made in free societies by the adults within them.