influenced

 After writing yesterday's posting I continued to think about the subject of woolgathering. My thoughts began to coalesce a bit more regarding what it is I was trying to say. Now my wife doesn't remember hearing that old expression and so I was explaining it to her. Today it means doing nothing other than daydreaming. The dictionary says it is aimless thought or absentmindedness. As with a lot of things the meaning has changed over time. Remember when gay meant being happy? But as I explained that to her, I was also trying to explain what my thoughts actually were. I didn't feel like I had done so in yesterday's post. At least I feel like I could have done a better job at that. So I thought to try it again.

 I was thinking about when I was a kid and how I would get bored. This was in the time before video games, cable television, and all of that. I had books and toys. That was about the extent of it. Didn't have a lot of either one of those when it came right down to it. I'm not saying I was deprived just that I wasn't "spoiled" as the saying goes. I always had the outdoors and my imagination. It was during that time that I practiced using whatever "wool" I had gathered. The "wool" had been gathered from the books I read, the games I played, and whatever interaction I had with other people. There wasn't a lot of organized activities back then. It was more of a "pick up" thing back then with whatever players happened to be around. So, I did wind up bored a lot. I was woolgathering!

 I'm thinking that is part of the problem today. The kids are constantly entertained in some fashion. Depending upon their age it can be anything from video games to social media. Apparently, a good deal of their teenage time is spent on Tic-Tok! What little I've heard about that reminds me of the playground during recess. In elementary school we were often challenged to do this or that. Whatever the challenge was it almost always led to a bad result. I'm thinking that it why we didn't do that stupid stuff later on, we had learned. We had gathered enough wool to knit a cap of common sense! Yeah, we were still learning but at least we had a start. After answering some stupid challenge, we were given time to think about it. Our parents called it being grounded. You were now restricted to your books and your imagination. For me it was the worst punishment, just sit there and think about it! I was forced to gather wool. 

 I believe even though it was meant as a punishment it was essential to my growth. I believe it is essential to the growth of everyone. When you are forced to just sit and think, to contemplate your choice of action, you do learn to see things from a new perspective. Influences. That is something you hear a great deal about these days. We are all being influenced by the Russians and by social media. I hear they have professional "influencers" these days. They can be found on social media and from what I read they are also bloggers and vloggers. I write a blog almost daily, but my intent isn't to influence anyone. I'm just sharing my wool. I say that because it is that wool that creates wisdom. Wisdom isn't learned, wisdom is created. Wisdom isn't taught, it is shared. As with any gift, the acceptance of that gift is up to the recipient. 

 I think the problem today is that children aren't left alone enough. They are constantly entertained, if not being directly supervised. Today the surgeon general is saying that social media should be restricted no children under the age of 12. His reasoning? They are being influenced. I don't agree with a lot the surgeon general has to say but he is right about that. It isn't a good thing to allow children unrestricted access to the content of the web. When I was a child, I was sent out of the room when the adults were talking! There was nothing cute about a small child cursing or using foul language. That stuff was a bad influence! Adult themes stayed with the adults. Kids today aren't given time to think! They are under a constant barrage of information and influences. 

 Today, whenever a child makes a mistake there is a rush to diagnosis the problem. They may have ADD. It's what my parents and teachers called not paying attention and won't sit still. There was a cure for that. Mostly it was a stern reprimand and warning, that was usually sufficient. In extreme cases, other measures may be employed. I don't recall any child being drugged when I was little but that is a common practice these days. Counselors and therapists are deployed to tell the kids they are screwed up. It isn't their fault though, it's an illness or disease. For that reason, everyone around you should adapt and accept you. That wasn't how it was in years past. No, you were expected to change your ways. You either changed your ways or faced the consequences. You were afforded the opportunity to think about that. Woolgathering? My feeling is it is a necessary part of childhood. The importance of allowing children to gather wool cannot be understated. It's true even when they don't know that's what they are doing, or the purpose of that. 

 The true importance of woolgathering is in learning about yourself. When you are the only one there, the only influence being your own good judgement and common sense. It is during that time you learn to accept yourself. Until you learn how to do that you will never learn to accept others. There will always be a problem. Others can't teach you that. It something you have to learn for yourself, by yourself. It is the basis of belief. Many kids today just don't have that base at all. They were never given the time. "Time spent alone is time spent with your spirit." ( A,B,Reichart )  

"Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us." Wilma Rudolph