I'm a member of the infamous generation X. My lover will disagree, but what the hell, he's great in bed.

When we were growing up our parents, role models and teachers spent too much time and effort telling us how we would grow up to be lawyers and astronauts or doctors and senators. They kept pointing us towards careers like "rocket scientist" or "neurosurgeon."

No one spent a damned minute explaining how unlikely it was going to be that we'd actually get those kinds of jobs.

Meanwhile, they infused us with the American work ethic and taught us to derive our identity almost strictly from our jobs. Walk up to a dozen people on the streets of America and ask this question - "what are you?" Nearly all will tell you their occupation. Few will respond with - "a human being, jackass, what are you?" Or even with their gender, religion, geographical home site, or parental status.

I am not my job.

Repeat after me, "I AM NOT MY JOB!"

Didn't that feel good?

Being a human being, a lover, a father, a sister, a chess enthusiast, a giver of great hugs - any of those better describes any given man or woman in my opinion. Now that that is cleared up, why don't we teach children how to be happy doing whatever job they are good at and that puts food on the table?

Materialism.

Another path to unhappiness for the masses is materialism and consumerism and we hand it out in schools instead of candy. Children who have less stuff are looked down upon or pitied. In adult life people with less junk are scoffed at, made to feel less deserving of love and treated differently than their stuff hoarding brothers.

Many of those men and women working in modest paying jobs sit in their warm homes, watching television after their third meal of the day with their clean and literate children and despair that they aren't good enough people. They avoid their high school reunion because they didn't get a high-paying job and couldn't buy an expensive car or because they are ashamed of their jobs. They wind up deep in debt after buying products they don't need with credit cards they'll never pay off. They aren't happy providing necessary services, working with good people and having friendly employers - they want more stuff. It isn't good enough to have all of their needs and their family's needs met - they want more stuff.

Think about the last time you moved or helped someone move. Wow, what a lot of useless crap people have! There are lots of great tools like stoves, air conditioners and flush toilets and lots of neat toys like televisions and MP3 players but there's also a lot of just plain stuff. People have a certain amount, type and "quality" of stuff they feel they need. It goes back to letting things define who you are.

I am not my stuff. Neither are you your stuff. We are people, of equal value regardless of how much or what kind of stuff we have.

Now, let's get down to business.

I believe every child should be taught these principles:

• You are a unique, wonderful and valuable human being.
• Your thoughts and opinions matter.
• Things, material objects are never more important than people.
• Jobs are tools, ways to fulfill needs and wants.
• Jobs are ways to contribute, to aid, to entertain and to serve others.
• Each person can fulfill a necessary and important role in society.
• You are not how much or what kind of stuff you own.
• Your value as a human being is innate.
• Self-worth should come from actions rather than material objects.