REDEFINE YOURSELF - DO NOT RETIRE

I have been amazed coming back to the USA from my work in Africa at what getting older means.  Too many people I meet have one goal when they have a career.  This goal is to have a paid retirement.  In Africa there was very little paid retirement.  In fact, about the only time a person would say they were going to retire meant they were going home to sleep and relax for the evening.  The next day that person would get up and do some gainful work.  As a person in Africa become an elder they would never retire only redefine themselves.  I am trying to redefine myself as I get older.  USA people my age do not understand what I am doing writing a book and working each day.  Most USA people only wish to stop gainful work and retire.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary has a meaning for retire which means ‘withdraw from action, use or service.’  It is always a good time to redefine and not only retire.  More elders need to keep the youth in their focus and to assist in guiding them.  When I discuss my book with grandparents or parents with grown children they seem not interested in the educational system.  Each person must not retire from the ‘grown-up’ position in front of the current youth generation.  So I shall keep on redefining myself and starting the dialogue as I write in my book.  Please join me, all ages.  No retiring.  Keep redefining yourself and sharing your experiences and lead the youth and their parental generation.  Read my book.

Discipline is like digging a hole

It is said there is one constant, change.  Well, there is another constant, discipline.  Every morning when a person awakes discipline faces them.  Adults control discipline.  There is self discipline when an adult controls their own discipline.  In other words, the adult inside of you is controlling the discipline to be correct.  There is when one is not having discipline and an adult enforces the discipline. As with a youth who has no self control, an adult usually enforces some form of outside discipline on the youth.   Maturity is when an adult has self discipline.  When it is necessary, students must be consistently dealt with by adult discipline until mature.  Therefore, there is a second constant, discipline.
Discipline is like to dig a hole.  It starts with exact measurements.  This is the rule making for correcting the discipline.  Once the measurements are taken (rules set) the digging of the hole are executed to the details of the measurements.  The digging of the hole are likened to the enforcement of the rule.  What is not wanted in the hole is taken out.  All the incorrect behavior which is in need of discipline is removed.  The hole should be analyzed at this time.  The rules were in place, enforcement has occurred and all the wrong things have been taken aside and addressed.  Now it is time to put into the hole the correct soil or tree needed in the hole.  Once all the inappropriate behavior needing discipline is removed it is time to replace with appropriate behavior and the instilling of self discipline.  Now the new item in the new hole can be nurtured (self discipline) or monitored (adult supervision) and the appropriate item (good behavior) can start to emerge.  So to have an adult place discipline on a youth, the steps of digging of a hole must be thought of and used.  To self discipline is to achieve an understanding of the hole digging and move on to self gratification of nurturing good behavior.
Thanks for listening.