What will my children’s future be like? It is a question that we all ponder as parents, sometimes with hope, sometimes with fear. Last week, I asked the question: Will my children have meaningful employment in the future? I explored the rapid technological changes and pondered the choices we have to shape our society and communities into the kind of places we want for our children. We are not helplessly along for the ride on the societal, technological train. We can choose to live in a way that creates sustainable and meaningful work for everyone. My motto is “Live simply so that others may simply live,” though I admit that that is not always easily done.
Now this week, here is another take on the question of whether our children will have meaningful employment in the future. The truth is that we have been in this circumstance before as a society; every group of people faces this circumstance as we continue to imagine and create and change.
In 1908, Henry Ford began the mass production of the automobile. These mechanized forms of transportation had existed for decades but now they became accessible to more and more people. As Henry Ford said,
“I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one – and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces.”
The motor car opened up a whole new world. People could travel greater distances in less time. Most of us really have no clue how much the motor car has changed our world. It also created unemployment in local communities, as people moved from owning a horse(s) to owning a motor car. From farriers to buggy makers, feed suppliers to harness makers, there was less and less demand for the many industries that supported horse & buggy transportation.
What did we do as a society and as individuals? We adapted. Black smiths became mechanics. Feed suppliers began to supply gas for cars. It took awhile. There was grief and there was struggle. Some people would have quickly adapted and others would have had a longer journey.
As I was thinking about the possibility of driverless cars, I thought about those who enjoy driving, who finding it relaxing and invigorating. Would they lose out on the joy of being in the driver’s seat? Then I thought about those who never gave up the horses, who continue to use them for both work and for pleasure. Some places on a ranch just can’t be reached by motor vehicle. And herding cattle is just easier on an intelligent animal, the horse, who is in tune with both rider and cattle. Riding and grooming horses provide hours of relaxation, enjoyment and healing for many people. So horses haven’t disappeared and I doubt cars with drivers won’t likely ever fully disappear.
We adapt and change as people. That is the gift God has given us – the ability to change. We can use our imaginations, our creativity, our reasoning to adapt ourselves and our skills to new situations. That is what we need to nurture in our children – creativity, imagination, the ability to think outside of the box and the willingness to constantly learn new skills.
How do we do that as parents & grandparents? Nature has provided what we need - PLAY. Our brains naturally develop the abilities in us to change, adapt and think creatively through free play. When we can explore, with no demand of results or outcome, our brains are happily developing the neural pathways that allow us to be adaptable, imaginative people.
Free play is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. In free play, there are no consequences (that means that we as parents and grandparents have created a safe place for them to play, with safe boundaries), there are no demands on the play (no skills that must be learned or results that are required or rewarded), and it is not for real (what happens in play stays in play), but rather all about expressive exploration in an atmosphere of fun and imagination. (For more on Play, see the work of Dr. Gordon Neufeld, www.neufeldinstitute.org.)
Everyone of every age needs to play – it keeps our minds creative and adaptive. Young children especially need to play. Free Play offers more than any sports activity or structured program. Our children can always learn skills. They will need to be learning new skills throughout their lives, and adapting to new situations. Structured activities can actually shut down the ability to think creatively and adapt, especially if the emphasis is on winning competitions or achieving pre-set standards. Studies have shown that the minute you reward a behaviour, creativity is shut down.
Will our children have meaningful, rewarding work that allows them to have the necessities of life? One of the greatest gifts we can give to our children and grandchildren toward helping this happen is to nurture the creativity and adaptivity that God has placed within each of us. That is what our children will need in the future.
When I was growing up, “moonlighting” or having a second job, was considered a bad thing. One was to be loyal to the company and the company would be loyal to you. That has all changed. Now it is common for young workers to have a “side hustle,” or a second job of some kind. It is how they are able to pursue the work that is their passion while still making a living wage. Our children will work at many different jobs for many different companies, or might be an entrepreneur starting up their own company. Equipped with creativity, imagination, the ability to adapt and the willingness to continue learning new skills and explore new possibilities, our children will create a society that works for them.
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