What is the message and expectations for the future generation?
We’re hearing and seeing stories where people in the UK are having to rely on Foodbanks? Why? Is this right? Today one press headline is “BENEFIT CAP MEANS I CAN’T SPEND £2.5K ON KIDS THIS CHRISTMAS” Where has logic and common sense gone? How can we possibly have things going on in the same country that are ‘poles’ apart?
A friend said, “The me, me, me mentality astounds and saddens me. Christmas is supposed to be a joyous time but in reality it seems to bring sadness to someone, people get up to their eyeballs in debt trying to buy presents for people and then spend the next year trying to get out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves. More families fall out at Christmas than at any other time of year and the lonely are even more lonely than ever. The shops are full of greedy people buying more then they need – it’s only a couple of hours folks; you can’t possibly eat all that in such a short space of time and unless you mated with an octopus, your kids can’t play with all those toys/games at once. If anyone dares to say anything all they get is – what do you expect, it’s Christmas!”
Earlier this year a series of programmes took people today and assessed them for benefits/welfare by the rules of 1949. The programmes gave some answers to some of the welfare issues of today but not all. One man featured in the programme who had a disability and had never been in work, found his first job from the 1949 support. The programme said that welfare was introduced to help support those in need, it was never meant to be a lifestyle choice and it was never meant to ‘keep’ people. Has time changed the way society thinks?
A friend overheard a conversation in their local cafe, where a parent in receipt of benefits was upset because they felt that their ‘children were being deprived of their childhood’ (their words) because they might not have a holiday this year! Are these children really being deprived of their childhood? Children have no sense of cost or money at least they shouldn’t have. Is it the expectation of the parent wrong or have we have a society given the message that the lack of a holiday constitutes deprivation?
We all want better for our children and grandchildren but if things costing hundreds of pounds become the norm, what message are we giving? What happens when our children and grandchildren are older and these things are not available? What happened to the belief that you work hard for what you have and you can’t have what you can’t afford or have saved for?
We all make choices about how we live and we all live with the consequences of these choices. People living on benefits who abuse the system spoil things for those who are genuine. Could this be one the reasons for the Welfare changes? The newspaper headlines do not tell the whole story! There is genuine hardship and at HEALS we see it almost everyday. The aim of HEALS is to help, encourage and support people to help themselves and it’s tough when mixed messages lead to a lack of understanding of the real need when it occurs.
Society today is a mixed bag, those who have from birth, others who work hard to have, those who would love to work hard to just have something and need an opportunity, there are those who live beyond their means without a care for the consequences, those who suffer through no fault of their own and those who expect everyone to keep them, never wanting to work.
In these times of change we need to reflect on the ‘message and expectations’ we’re giving the next generation. Tough decisions regarding lifestyles have to be made. Someone said that we can’t undo what’s already happened and while we can’t undo the past, we can change the message and expectations for the future. What will be your message and expectations for the future generation?
alisoncrossjones 