*Bill and Ted from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure with Socrates

So you’re worried about the youth of today? This seems to be a common concern throughout history.

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”- attributed to Socrates

Translation: Today’s kids are all into their tech and not doing anything of value; they are defiant, disrespectful, all talk and no work. Kids think they rule the roost and fail to help around the house. Kids have no respect for old people. They argue with their parents, are on their phones when company is over, live on fast food, burp and fart, and give their teachers headaches. -the Barb, 2015

Here are some more:

“What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?” – Plato

“I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words… When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise [disrespectful] and impatient of restraint”.  Hesoid 8BC

“We live in a decaying age. Young people no longer respect their parents. They are rude and impatient. They frequently inhabit taverns and have no self control” Inscription on a 6,000 year old Egyptian tomb

As Solomon said, “there is nothing new under the sun” which includes rebellious teens and adults who grow weary of teaching respect and manners. Besides, our parents said this about us and look how great we turned out. So if you are tired, beaten down, or discouraged with the next generation, keep investing, teaching, and training and believe that today’s youth will turn out okay.

Who is one student you can invest in this week?