Why You Must Exceed Your Parents (Ep. 5)

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You can find many people and traditions that will tell you to honour and respect your parents. In this episode, we make a case for why, in adulthood, you must exceed your parents too. Unless we do this, society will become more closed and intolerant, rather than open and accepting of changes that occur in the world—which is what actually happens as the decades and centuries progress. We speak about how:

• Younger generations exceeding their parents is necessary for societal progress as it allows for new ideas and tolerance of differences. Change and disruption of norms drives human advancement.
• Good parents want their children to succeed beyond them, while insecure parents fear being exceeded and try to control their children.
• Adults should set good examples of behavior for children rather than the children learning bad habits. When this doesn’t happen, the children have to contradict their parents.
• Accepting new information, even if it contradicts accepted beliefs, is an important part of intellectual maturity.
• Conservatives and liberals both have important but different roles to play. Conservatives stabilize while liberals innovate and disrupt.
• Core humanist principles of treating others with dignity can persist across generations and cultures.
• Independent thinking and not relying on others’ opinions is a sign of adulthood.
• Future generations will face different challenges and opportunities, so an open and adaptable mindset is needed.
• Living by proven principles allows one to raise children who can positively shape future societies in ways that are not known until they do it.

Table of contents:

00:00 – Intro
01:08 – Exceeding your parents is a long tradition
03:10 – Your parents made mistakes
06:42 – You will evolve prior generations’ views
12:09 – Principles will stand the test of time
15:34 – Younger generations are more liberal
22:12 – Change has to be embraced
27:45 – A universal lens helps you to identify lasting principles
31:24 – You will be on the planet longer
34:35 – Outro

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