For me, the question of values is like an archaeological dig, in which one goes down through the layers.
My parents are a little more left wing than myself and we don't always agree about current events, particularly overseas. Usually, we do though. Both are Labor voters. Their values (as opposed to their circumstances) tend to be staunchly working class. For example, shoes are functional and to be worn not until they are shabby but until totally worn out and non-functional. Their generation of the family was skeptical of the worth of education but have had a change of heart since mine demonstrated it - a change of belief without change of values.
The headmaster of my school used to day that a function of a school was to remove children from the influence of their parents. (He said a lot that we didn't take seriously enough at the time.) School attempted to put a middle class gloss on us and succeeded to some extent. In dealing with my nieces and their choices in life, I keep harking back to one of his favourite passages, the Parable of the Talents (Mt xxv:14-30).
Later the Army built on this. It is your privilege to lead because you have special knowledge. I retain an abiding belief in the value of discipline (particularly self-discipline) and compulsion.
I didn't read a lot of books as a child. I taught myself to read so I could read comic books. I loved the marvel superheroes of the late 1960s. The dedicated Mr Fantastic, the noble Thor, the angsty Spider-Man.
At high school I read a sci-fi by the authors of the day, like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert and Usula LeGuin. (These are not the main ones read, just the main ones remembered.) For some reason, over time I tended to favour books by female authors. I read a lot more history books, mostly on military topics. In those days there were few Australian publications, so most were British. As opposed to the comic books, I doubt that these had much impact.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2006-08-20 03:33 am (UTC)For me, the question of values is like an archaeological dig, in which one goes down through the layers.
My parents are a little more left wing than myself and we don't always agree about current events, particularly overseas. Usually, we do though. Both are Labor voters. Their values (as opposed to their circumstances) tend to be staunchly working class. For example, shoes are functional and to be worn not until they are shabby but until totally worn out and non-functional. Their generation of the family was skeptical of the worth of education but have had a change of heart since mine demonstrated it - a change of belief without change of values.
The headmaster of my school used to day that a function of a school was to remove children from the influence of their parents. (He said a lot that we didn't take seriously enough at the time.) School attempted to put a middle class gloss on us and succeeded to some extent. In dealing with my nieces and their choices in life, I keep harking back to one of his favourite passages, the Parable of the Talents (Mt xxv:14-30).
Later the Army built on this. It is your privilege to lead because you have special knowledge. I retain an abiding belief in the value of discipline (particularly self-discipline) and compulsion.
I didn't read a lot of books as a child. I taught myself to read so I could read comic books. I loved the marvel superheroes of the late 1960s. The dedicated Mr Fantastic, the noble Thor, the angsty Spider-Man.
At high school I read a sci-fi by the authors of the day, like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert and Usula LeGuin. (These are not the main ones read, just the main ones remembered.) For some reason, over time I tended to favour books by female authors. I read a lot more history books, mostly on military topics. In those days there were few Australian publications, so most were British. As opposed to the comic books, I doubt that these had much impact.