Fragility

There's a certain genetic component in personality that contributes to a thick or thin skin, but how does a person become fragile or resilient (gritty), and what is a good strategy for parents and schools to foster empathy and the ability to understand another's situation while strengthening their own ability to transcend hardships?

I bet one is to call out or even create activities that naturally result in teachable moments to stop and reflect on different ways to approach the current struggle.

There is a component of being able to step outside one's self and see the perspective of live as it's lived from outside the present moment. That takes practice and someone to help get started.

I believe these things...

• Maximized individual freedom.
• Corrupt government is worth fighting.
• Government has a role in modern life, but it has to be trusted, so every bit of corruption needs to be highlighted and eliminated to the maximum extent possible.
• A non-partisan free press is important to identify and publish abuse of power and needs to be supported.
• Collective security requires people to feel secure, which means an effective law enforcement,, which means law enforcement must be trusted which means law enforcement must be trustworthy which means they need to be policed and monitored closely from inside and outside their ranks for their own effectiveness and safety.
• Prisons and schools need to be public enterprises, No private prisons and no privatized "public" schools. No PROFITEERING from incarceration! If we're going to lock people up for our own good and for their own good, we need to all pay for it directly with taxes.
• The goal of incarceration should be rehabilitation, not punishment. As long as it takes to allow someone to become an effective contributor to society. That doesn't mean people responsible for certain crimes (sexual assault or murder) should ever be free to roam the streets on their own, but within their incarceration, they can work and contribute to atone for their harm against society from their safe lockdown.
• Equity of education until adulthood is for the common good. That means it will require more resources to educate poor communities, and so be it. We need to pay it. Once we're adults, then, it's on the individual, but they have to be educated about the tools to help define and strive for their own success in their own callings or desires.

Your View of America Is Legitimate

From the front porch of every life, there is a different perspective of our country. One thing about America is you get to have your view. If you believe you're perspective is legit, then you need to acknowledge that everyone else's view is as legitimate as yours.  Let's engage in a little whatboutism.

What about people who have lived in many places and seen many sides of this great nation. Is their perspective more legitimate? No.

What about people who have friends in many different interest groups and ethnic groups and races and classes. Surely they would have a more important view of America, wouldn't they? No.

What about a person who has lived in a small community of like minded and like colored people their whole lives? Wouldn't their perspective be less important than mine? No.

What about gullible people who believe in the most exciting conspiracy theories they can find on the internet that let them feel like their special knowledge (for having read it on the internet and SEEN the contrails with their own eyes)? Wouldn't their paranoid and outlandish ideas make their opinion about their idea of America compromise their view of America? Yes, but no, they are fully entitled to their legitimate view of America.

How about someone with traumatic brain injury who has a much compromised ability to take in information about their surroundings? Yes, their own perspective is legitimate to them as yours is to you.

When you denigrate someone for believing in the most accurate picture of America as their minds can conjure, you are being unAmerican. 

If you want to change someone's mind, you have got to do the work. Get the story out in a way someone without your superior vision can understand and will then want to change their mind to agree more with yours.