The Lasting Examples of Our Time

"The good things of the past were not so often articles as they were the manner in which people lived or the things that the people thought. This, of course, is still true; the fine TV sets and modern kitchen equipment we prize now will be junk within a matter of years; the lasting examples of our time will turn out to be the ways that we live or the things that we think." -Eric Sloane, Author's Note, Diary of an Early American Boy (1962)

Sloane's comments resonate with me both as a philosopher and a father. We place far too much emphasis on material possessions in our culture, much to our long-term detriment, not to mention the detriment of future generations who will inherit our ideologies for better or for worse.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." -Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV)