The world often seems over populated with simple people.  Simple people generally expose themselves rather quickly.  They may be conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican, Christian or atheist, black or white, rich or poor.  We recognize them through their life axioms.  The simplified axioms seem harmless on the surface – but that is the problem.  There is no depth of understanding.

Simple Parents:

For instance, what about simple people as parents?  What are the life axioms of the simple parent – and what are the consequences for the children?  Again, not all simple people operate out of the same axioms – the common denominator is rooted in simple dogma:

An example of the simple parent dogma: “All children are inherently bad – seeking to defy authority.  Thus the logic follows: ‘The role of the parent is to punish children for bad behavior.'”  Any act of the child is viewed with a skeptical eye – ‘what are they trying to pull off this time?’  This prophecy fulfills itself.  The child eventually buys into the paradigm – they become the bad person they are expected to be.

The simple parent logic thus follows: “Parents always know best. The older person is always right.  Age produces wisdom.  Young people should be seen and not heard.  Spare the rod and spoil the child.”  Simplicity reins supreme.

Personally, I know many older people who seem to have learned nothing since they were 16 years old.  And they visit their children every weekend in the State Prison.  They persist, “That boy should have listened to me when he was young.  I knew he was bad from the beginning.  He never would listen.”  The mark of the simple older parent is found in martyrdom.  “Look at how he pays me back for all of my hard work as a parent.”  It is always about the failure of the child – never about the failure of the parent.

The flip side of the negative paradigm is the parent who cannot bring themselves to correct errant behavior.  Their axiom, “Children are naturally curious and must be allowed to explore.  The logic follows, ‘they will eventually learn from their mistakes.'”  The operative word is ‘eventually.’ This is the parent who fails to teach the child about boundaries.  Errant behavior of a child is often about curiosity – and errant behavior is an opportunity to establish the boundaries of culture and society.

Enlightened parents recognize that when a child is born they are an empty vessel.  The empty vessel craves information, knowledge, experience.  The vessel will be filled with the environment of their life.  Enlightened parents can be found in Parent Effectiveness Training classes.  They recognize the uniqueness of their child.  They recognize the positive potential of the child – and work to encourage that potential.  They recognize both positive and negative feedback in necessary to establish a purpose driven life.

Simplicity in general:

Axioms of simple people are generally black or white.  Simple people do not travel in the world of gray.  Simple people do not care for ambiguity.  Certainty is central.  Simple people buy into certain life paradigms and then never look back.  Simplicity seems to have a gravitational pull – attracting other simple people.

The polarizing effects of simplicity are the roots of most cultural or social problems.  Simple people are the “my way or the highway” folks.  Simple liberals run screaming into the night when faced with a simple conservative.  They need not run – because the simple conservatives are running and screaming in the other direction.  There is no risk of dialogue between these folks.

So readers, how does simplicity of life impact Religion, politics, economics, community, foreign policy, relationships, and other life endeavors?  What are the simple axioms that are flawed?  And what are simple axioms that are correct?