To Whom Shall We Listen?

Over many years of teaching and advising students, I often used less elegant language to give them this adage: One of the most important choices we make in our lives is who to listen to.

As kids we don’t have much choice. We heard often that we should mind our mothers and listen to our elders. It’s a good concept, but not without its dangers. As kids we really are in no position to know better, and the younger we are the less likely we are to be able to choose wisely. We have no choice, really, at a young age but to hope that we get the guidance we need from the right people. When there are examples of malevolent parents we must not let those cases sour us on the concept. After all, turning kids over to the state is a choice with less favorable odds.