Out of My Mind : A lesson on perseverance from the birds
Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008
A pair of house finches have taken up residence at the office. The male flits in and out of a hanging basket, to the handrail on the steps and then to a nearby electric line. The female has tried several times to build a nest on the top of a porch column, but the wind keeps blowing down her handiwork.
She perseveres. He flies in, takes a look, and flies back out to continue is distant supervising. Every once in a while, he joins her on the top of the column, but stays only a moment.
Recently, I've heard several people bemoan the state of affairs and what appears to be hopeless causes. Those complaints range from gas prices, the state of the economy as a whole, the state of the nation, state, city, school, culture, morality. You name it, someone has complained about it.
What are we to do in the face of hopelessness ?
I heard a wise man recently talking about the state of the culture as he adamantly stated that our culture, as we know it, is doomed.
If that's so, why try, I countered.
He said: "Because we're not going to make a difference in the culture as a whole, but we will one on one."
I don't know whether that's true. But I do know one person can make a difference. It sometimes seems hopeless. Regardless whether the goal appears small or large - maybe it's a family problem or a national problem, but someone has to start somewhere.
Several of us who are in mid-life and have raised many children together were laughingly remembering the past quarter of a century of child-rearing. We laughed about the days when our largest worries were about whether to spank, when to wean or potty-train, how to handle arguing siblings. Those problems were relatively minor compared to what we faced with pre-adolescents and later teen-agers. And, again, with young adults and careers and marriages and then parenting all over again with grandchildren.
Worthwhile causes are seldom easy. The path of least resistance, while easiest, is probably not the best. We must recognize and aim for the highest goals and help our children do the same.
Strong-willed children, while troublesome in the home, often become the most steadfast adults because they're not as prone to the peer pressures so prevalent today. Granted, their independent spirits often make them vexing to their parents, they also hold them in good stead once they have recognized and chosen their course.
Persevere - to continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.
It's worthwhile !
Annette Beard is the managing editor for The Times of Northeast Benton County and can be contacted at annetteb @ nwanews. com
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online