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I often wonder about the rest of the 21st century, what the world will become as it continues to change.
I experienced a good indication last weekend when I met a 1-month-old infant on Friday and another one on Saturday. I don't get to meet newborns very often, so meeting two in two days was a special occasion.
The Friday opportunity happened at Boulder Estates when I returned home from having the interior of my car cleaned. One of the activity assistants brought her firstborn baby boy for a visit. She and her husband named him Reese.
On Saturday I went to my uncle's house in Minneota to meet my youngest cousin's baby boy named Layton. They visited my aunt and uncle with her husband and her 8-year-old son Lane.
Anyone with a warm heart marvels when seeing babies who are so young. We're impressed by everything from their hair to their little hands and feet.
They're like angels. They eat, sleep and like to be held. They depend on the adults around them for all things essential to their well being.
I read a newspaper article a couple of weeks ago about scientific evidence that genes can influence personality. I think it's important not to take that theory to an extreme. I refuse to believe that any innocent baby is destined to be socially deviant.
Instead I think behavior is learned. Babies watch. They begin to relate to adults and other children. They respond to both positive and negative reinforcement.
I have total confidence in the future of the two little boys who I met last week. They'll grow up in very good homes with families who love them.
Babies like them don't make headlines. About the only time babies become positive news is when there's a multiple birth, at least triplets. Occasionally we'll read a story about a baby who was not expected to live but who beat the odds.
Much more often we hear about babies who are mistreated or neglected. We should be saddened by it, but we should also remind ourselves that the vast majority of babies are treated with tender loving care.
Children are our most precious resource. They're the future. They're the ones who will someday take care of us. Nothing's more important than kids.
My hope for the future is that people will become less money driven and less obsessed with technology. I hope to see more commitment to free public education, more dedication to protecting natural resources, and more of a health care emphasis on eating properly, exercise and stress reduction.
I believe most people want those things. The problem is that some economic "powers that be" want people to spend recklessly and want to create job related demands.
Maybe within my lifetime we'll have a new Greatest Generation, one that can overcome today's status quo. Its members might revitalize society economically and socially. They might influence it as much as the World War II generation did with military action.
Children born in 2026 will most likely live long enough to see the 22nd century. They'll shape the future of families, communities, business districts and landscapes. They'll often choose between doing what's most convenient for the near future or making long term investments.
Adults of all ages need to help with the task of starting them off in the right direction. They should learn at an early age the value of family and friends.
The opportunities to learn are abundant. They include Christmas seasons, birthday parties, swimming, snowmen, stuffed animals and much more.
We need to care enough to make children happy. We should put them first when deciding what to do in the evening or how to spend time at gatherings. Those who work with children should do everything possible to give all kids a fair shake, to give all of them a chance to reach their potential.
As long as we take good care of millions of babies like Reese and Layton, as well as millions of children and teenagers, we earn the right to hope for brighter days in the years ahead.
-- Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent