When we suggest that you follow the founders in their education, the reason isn’t just so you can have knowledge that other people do not. We want you to read in order to think. As Francis Bacon wrote, “Read not to contradict and confute; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.” You need to read things in order to understand and to take in what you read. It’s not just ammo to use against people. You need to understand the things that you read and take them into consideration. But considering and understanding doesn’t mean agreeing. You don’t have to take everything you read as the truth, but you do need to at least to to understand it. If you read to understand, then the principles will at least affect you. Reading the words of these people for yourself will give you the ability to make decisions that will effect your whole life. You will not understand everything you read, and you won’t agree with everything you read. You need to practice understanding the words written just like you would practice a sport and eventually, you will be able to understand more than you ever thought you could and be able to determine what you will and will not agree with based on the things you’ve come to know. Reading should not be considered a chore, but a blessing. It is a blessing that we can read first hand what our founding fathers read. We don’t have to take the word of anyone because we can learn for ourselves and make ourselves better. 

When people, mostly children or teenagers, remark on the unfairness of the world or the trouble with those in it, they’re meant with a chorus of “that’s just the way things are, life isn’t fair, you are just gonna have to accept it, etc.”. But why? We tell the younger generations that the world can’t be trusted and that they will be stuck with that for the rest of their lives. All this does is breed our children to be untrusting to one another and then the trust is never built. This always frustrates me when I hear it. It’s regarded as common fact that the world is a bad, unfair place and it will never change. Of course it will remain the same if we teach every generation the same things. We can no longer breed contention and distrust. Instead, why not tell your kids that they have the power to change the world as we know it. People claim that it doesn’t matter because one person won’t change anything. If everyone is taught that the world is bad now but it can change, then everyone will be inspired to make a difference. All it takes is one voice loud enough to turn heads. People need to light the spark of change early in their children so it can continue to grow all through their lives. No longer should we say that “it’s just the way the world is,” no, it’s the way the world was until they make a change. Instead of bringing up a generation of acceptors, raise an army of determined advocators. Because once these children, who have been spoon fed the proper nourishment for a good, virtuous society are the ones in charge of what goes on, they’ll know nothing but the right choices.