What has happened to us as a culture? I’m all for freedom of speech, but not when it destroys, distorts, and spreads lies. Somewhere along the way, we began to confuse loudness with strength and disrespect with honesty.
I often think of my grandmother. She was not a highly educated woman by today’s standards, but she was raised in a culture that valued dignity and careful word choices. When she spoke, it was mesmerizing—not because her vocabulary was lofty, but because her words carried grace. She knew how to disagree without being disagreeable, how to correct without crushing, and how to speak truth with eloquence.
I know one place we’ve gone wrong: since when do news companies get to write their bias instead of the truth? It overwhelms me to see how far we’ve drifted from integrity. But here’s the hope: we can change this. It starts not with the media, but in our own homes. We can set the standard for what kind of world our children inherit.
One practical way is by being intentional with what we read to our kids, and what we allow them to read. For example, the McGuffey Readers—first published in the 1830s—were once staples in American schools. These books weren’t just about teaching reading. They were filled with Christian ethics, moral stories, and character-building themes. Lessons emphasized honesty, kindness, humility, hard work, and self-control. They didn’t just shape strong students; they shaped strong people. Generations of children grew up learning not just how to read, but how to live with wisdom and restraint.
Can you imagine what would happen if we gave our children more of that today? Stories that don’t just entertain, but shape their hearts and sharpen their minds?
Let’s raise children who speak with intelligence and wisdom. Kids who know that restraint is not weakness, but strength. Kids who value truth over popularity, eloquence over shouting, integrity over convenience.
The world may be loud, but we can choose to raise light.
Raising Light 