@mystikmind,
mystikmind wrote:
A wise parent encourages the growing independence of a teenager, because your supposed to be teaching them to become an independent adult, not a lap dog that does what it is told. This mistake so many parents make.
It's very hard to learn to think independently without harming yourself due to what you don't yet (fully) understand. The Bible actually explains it really well in the story of Adam & Eve where they receive a warning not to do something that will harm/kill them but then they get tempted by the idea that it won't really harm/kill them and the only reason their father warned them was because he doesn't want them to become independent like he is. As a result, they end up dying and living in enmity with God.
So we can explain things to children and they may or may not understand, but we should tell them that when they make the choice to dismiss warnings about what will harm them, there is nothing we can do to protect them from the natural consequences of their actions. The body is very resilient in healing, but certain kinds of damage build up over time. The ideal would be to transmit all the wisdom you have built up as a parent to your children, and then have them go on building on that wisdom, but pride makes that difficult as children get the urge to establish themselves as something different from their parents, which they are really just a biological continuation of.
Quote:I believe it comes down to respect, if you show respect to your teenagers, then they will respect you in return and will actually listen to what you say! (not to say there will never be circumstances that will mess with that).
It is good to respect all things, living and non-living. That doesn't mean it's not good to discipline and change them when they can benefit from it, though. Children may or may not listen depending on what is going on inside their heads and hearts (and other parts of their body). You can't manipulate them into listening with respect or anything else. It is up to them to make the right choice or suffer natural (and sometimes artificial) consequences.
Quote:Pride is the root of all evil because it is the one thing that can counteract reason, it can counteract self preservation, it can even counteract love! And remember Satan, what was it again that made him fall??? Need i say more?
Pride is not the only thing that does or can 'counteract' these other things, as you describe it. Greed, envy, lust, attachment/addiction, laziness, etc. bend the mind to their will and put walls of emotion between the ego and reason. Pride is related to all of them, but they are also related to each other in similar ways. Sin begets sin, so to speak. How can you by greedy without envying others who have what you want? How can you be lustful without getting attached/addicted to the object(s) of your lust? How can you be lazy without being attached/addicted to whatever leisure activities keep you from being bored when you're avoiding work you should be doing?
Pride certainly hovers near the axis of the wheel of sin, i.e. because whenever conscience sheds light on moral failings, pride is there to stand up to it and insist on self-righteousness, cultural tradition, or whatever other rationalization can be cultivated for shirking reason.
