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What do you think it means to believe in God?

The past several months every night I have the fear of intrusion. Every single night before I sleep it passes from my mind that I might be robbed in my home while sleeping.

Context. I live in a very safe area in Australia. It is in suburbia just near the end of the city. People are eitherwell off with some nice mansions and the regular houses are just above median price.

I live on the low end housing within the suburb

There are 0 homeless people around and I have not heard from anyone that I know that they have been robbed.

I am early 30s and have 2 kids.

Never been robbed (other than the gov)

Financially stable

Hi Stef,

Recently I visited some family with my wife and almost 2 years old son, and at some point and without provocation, his cousin, that is about my son age, lightly hit him in the head with his palm. Having raised my son peacefully, this is was his first time experiencing violence, so he just stared at me shocked not knowing how to react, after a minute he started crying, and we tried not to exaggerate and make peace between them.

After this visit I felt puzzled and incompetent as a father. How I and my son should properly respond to this type of events, and how my son should react when he is bullied or attacked by other kids, this is excluding the obvious violent self-defense? This also raised up memories from when I was bullied in middle and high school, and I was equally unprepared to handle the situation, and just took the abuse. We had similar situations at the playgrounds, but unlike with family and public schooling there was an easy way out.

I live in an Eastern European country, where public schooling is mandatory and homeschooling almost impossible, so the topic of handling bullies/violent adults weighs heavily on my mind. Just recently there was a news from my town with a preschooler that violently beat up some classmates and the modern type school didn't do much about it.

I was also left wondering how seemingly normal and well off children become violent, especially in the case of my nephew, that from my knowledge is also raised peacefully? The only problem I see in his household, is that the father is blue-collar and leaves for extended periods of time as he works in a different country.

Thanks,

What do you think of the data that show that parenting seems to have minimal long-term impact on values transfer? Is it just parents doing a very poor job with their children, leading to “backfire” effect of rebellion, or values not taking? Or is there something to sociologists’ conclusions that the median level of parenting (ie not abuse) doesn’t affect behavior as much as we think?

what is willpower?

Why is it that some people are able to do things they don't like such as exercising or sticking with something unpleasant and others are not?

In light of your recent call in show, "I'm Sorry I Called You Evil", how does it feel when listeners project their issues with their fathers onto you, whether for good or for ill? How do you feel if a listener feels something akin to a familial bond with you- that you embody the virtuous qualities of a wise, empathetic and engaged father figure that her own father did not manifest? Perhaps this is merely the mark of a parasocial dynamic, but in my mind at least, you have forged your own path through the wreckage of generational abuse and trauma and transcended to the level of Peaceful Parent Philosopher Archetype- you have become the best example of the father I wish I had. Thank you for being you, and for sharing your gifts with the world.

Have you ever witnessed someone who had done evil become humble, make restitution, and truly turn thier life around and embrace virtue?