Something most of us need to consider: whether you like it or not, you are not just a single entity. Either by blood or bond, you are part of a unit, a family. There are people who have sacrificed their own time, energy and resources to give you the guidance and direction needed to achieve maturity. These people expect and nothing yet they deserve, in the very least, a simple “thank you”.
While you make statements to the world you not only speak as an individual, you represent the unit you belong to. Your followers are possibly forming opinions of the entire unit based on YOUR personal statements. Your family must endure the feelings conjured by these opinions being made of them. Consider this; with YOUR statements, do you cause your family to endure feelings of pride or of disgrace?
God’s 5th commandment to us is to ‘honor thy mother and father’. In this day of broken or mixed families the command is to honor those who raise us. When you stand on the green grass above the graves of those who provided for you when you were unable to provide for yourself then continued to provide when you became able, yet unwilling, to be self-sufficient, how will you feel about yourself? When you lay down the flowers and say a prayer to the dead, will you realize your vulgar language, temporary highs, intentional scars and the loads of meaningless possessions you obtained through your fiscal irresponsibility was nothing less than a perversion of integrity – the exact opposite of honor? Will you understand your refusal to honor them evoked your permission for them to feel shamed? Will you promote a self-righteous, self-serving campaign and be justified in the embarrassment and heartbreak you bestowed upon those people who cared about you?
For you, are these words something to consider or something to ignore?
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