He Wasn'T Wrong, Part I

I remember Charlie from college, a troublemaker par excellence, not that Charlie intended to be, it’s just his views were often askance. Take, for example, the time in class we were discussing feminism, the professor was glad her students were all seeing things through her prism. But then Charlie said, “You’re looking past the long-term effects of such thoughts, marriage rates are down, so are birth rates, divorce is so common it seems taught. More single mothers mean messed up kids, strange men in the house mean more abuse, with no strong families to model off, children grow up with a slanted view, which makes it hard to form families, which ensure that our culture survives, are we sure modern feminism Is a force for good in all our lives?” The girls in the class loudly freaked out, with the professor they piled on, Charlie just shrugged at their vitriol. “Your anger doesn’t mean that I’m wrong.” Now this might have come off arrogant, It seemed that way to me at the time, I had not learned to appreciate The use of a truly honest mind, Not seen a man who valued the truth More than woman, friendship, or real fame, A person who could just go along, As this next tale will help to explain: It was another discussion, About women joining the work force, And how it was a great step forward, That we should be encouraging more. But Charlie raised his hand and spoke up, “What is gonna happen to the kids? Should we just entrust them to daycare, Like our parents’ generation did? Mental illness has skyrocketed, And it’s become clear this plays a part, The formative years are so vital To a balanced mind and healthy heart. A stay at home parent teaches them That they are valued and loved so much That someone will dedicate their life To see them protected and raised up. Why should they fight for a stranger’s time, What negative effects will that have? Problems when young tend to follow us To adulthood, and that would be bad. Man or woman, stay at home parents Help give us people health and strong.” They hounded him out, but he yelled back, “Get upset, but you know I’m not wrong!” CONCLUDES IN PART II.