ACCOMPLISHING ANYTHING WORTHWHILE TAKES EFFORT

ACCOMPLISHING ANYTHING WORTHWHILE TAKES EFFORT

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD., Traditional Realist

Most youngsters have been conditioned by the culture to believe they are entitled to anything they want. They desire it, get it and throw it away. This quick turn over of interests happens daily throughout their short existence.

These children are born into a consumer-credit fad economy. Instant gratification is the norm in their lives. When children lose or abuse a toy or precious object they immediately have it replaced. These young people rarely have to repair, maintain or build something. Our affluence has encouraged us to passively purchase services and objects rather than use our ingenuity and imagination to rebuild or create another interesting activity.

The art of living a unique life of overcoming liabilities and turning them into assets is becoming unusual in a victimized society. Youngsters, often with the consent and encouragement of their parents, would rather receive special diagnosis and assistance by professionals to complete simple objectives rather than struggle to find their own strategy to compensate for their limitations. According to child advocates it is not the fault of the child for having some limitations, as they should be given special programs and assistance to deal with their immediate problems.

“Figit Spinners” are the latest absurdity to be supported by child development experts. Supposedly the plastic spinning disk would help the child avoid the struggle to find his own learning style that would compensate for any learning difficulties. Some physicians are giving prescriptions to children to use their “figit spinners” in the classroom to help them concentrate. This is preposterous intervention happening even though no scientific evidence has been found to demonstrate its effectiveness.

Our public schools are insisting certain difficult students need to receive psychotropic drugs in order to attend school. When parents refuse to place their child on drugs they are sometimes confronted by child protective services. There are even cases where children have been removed from their home and placed in foster care due to the parent’s not complying with the school district edicts. This has taken place without the parents being given due process to their rights as citizens.

It is not good for particular students to have tests read to them. They should only be given tests that are on their reading level. Without the ability to read they will not be functional in any modern society, nor should they receive extra time to take a test. This ridiculous practice only confirms to the child that he is less than normal. Children need to be trained and inspired to reach incremental goals, not be warehoused and labeled as defective by the system and eventually by the child.

We as a people have forgotten that our greatness as an economic powerhouse was established on the industriousness of our ancestors. Many of them had to work to help support their families from a young age. Mostly everything they had to learn came from their own initiative and experience. Their reading, math and job skills were learned by fighting for them. There were often significant people who assisted them and apprenticeship opportunities to learn job skills were identified through their own resourcefulness.

Nothing worthwhile that is accomplished is easy. It takes work, perseverance and concentration to learn a skill, complete a task well or invent a better mousetrap. When a person just makes excuses and gives up nothing is accomplished except a sense of failure and loss of confidence. When the person fights through these challenges and resolves the crucial issues his competence increases as well as  strength of character.

As a society we should stop pandering to special interest groups who demand too many privileges, concessions and accommodations for the child having difficulties.  Removing all types of adversity creates a victimized and entitlement society.

Overcoming obstacles builds confident and self-reliant people. We should return to a fair merit competition to build winners.  In the “everyone wins” mentality there is no motivation to improve. Without failing in something a person loses the motivation to be a winner.

Doers who succeed have to persevere to reach their goals. It takes effort to be a success not accommodations, lower standards and expectations. These are the people who never walk away from a challenge but confront it time and time again until they conquer their inner fear of failure.

Eventually they are victorious and are able to savor their temporary accomplishments then reach out for new and more difficult goals. They raise themselves to new heights and greater laser focused efforts.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. Dr. Maglio is an author of weekly newspaper articles, INVASION WITHIN  and a new just published book, entitled, IN CHARGE PARENTING In a PC World. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.