Whatever happened to Aesop's fables?

Whatever happened to Aesop's fables? You remember the Ant and the Grasshopper, The fox and the grapes, The boy who cried wolf, The tortoise and the hare?  Why don't we tell our kids these any more? And why aren't they taught in school?  Why don't we see more cartoons that follow along the lines of the original vice what is socially convenient?  I can not find a copy of Aesop's fables in print at a public library, or on film, that matches what the original source says.

Have stories told to children today become social engineering that make children more dependent on others and less resilient?  Fables and stories such as these been used as tools for millennia to impart important lessons about morals and social interactions.  In fact, children used to be inoculated to the occurrence of death from a young age, because death was a daily occurrence.  Why aren't children allowed to read those stories anymore?  Changes in medical science should not be cause to change this.  If you ask a child to look up from their electronic distraction, would they be able to tell you the name of a fable or moral story?  Do any of them know the origin of 'Ring around the rosie'?  Do they even play it in the school yard or even backyards and parks any more?  I think it is highly unlikely.

I think parents are afraid to let their children grow up these days.  Too often, we depend on others to teach our children how to conduct themselves; how to think about certain topics; what to read.  It's time we, as parents, stop using the excuse of too tired, too busy, too late to direct the development of our children.  It used to be that children prior to the Information Age learned their skill and trade from their parents or entered into apprenticeships.

Although if that were the case, that would mean my oldest daughter should be married off already.

I, for one, do not have time to teach my children all the skills (like mathematics and science, reading and writing, logic and rhetoric) they need day to day; but I know I must make time to mold their character, by engaging them in moral debate, having them study stories in moral and stoic thought.  That is my responsibility as a parent and steward of good citizenship. It's time we help our children develop the character to grow up unafraid; be willing to challenge the status quo, and risk all for what they truly believe. 

How will you help your children grow up today?

A to Z Well-being (personal philosophy): Debt

Debt (n) - something, typically money, that is owed or due.

If you've found your way here, undoubtedly it's because you're curious about debt; and possibly getting out of it.  And if you've also been looking on YouTube, you have seen some videos by amateur economists saying you can't have a functioning economy without debt.  The way I see it, there are two types of debt:either Purchase debt, or Productive debt.  I'm sure economists and financial geniuses have other words for them, but that's what I call them.

Purchase Debt
Purchase debt is the exchange of credit (the value of your good character) for goods; credit cards or loans (business or personal) are examples of these.  Think of using your credit card as having the Credit Card Company co-sign a loan for your meal, they vouch that you're good for the money and pay on your behalf.
Chattel loans, like mortgages or car loans, are secured credit loans.  The lender (bank, lending company, Vinny the Lump on the corner) lends you the money based on your credit but hold on to the title for security. If you can't make the payments like you promised you would, the lender takes your collateral, sells it and comes after you for the rest.  In the case of credit cards, the Credit Card company just ruins your name (financially speaking).

Productive Debt
Productive debt is the exchange of goods for services; bartering or a paycheck are good examples of that.  The exchange of effort for money (currency, credit exchange notes, Federal Reserve Notes, what have you); think paying for a meal in a restaurant.  This is what really drives the economy.  This requires the ability to determine what is immediately necessary, what is necessary, and what is nice.

Eliminating Debt

Eliminating debt to have more money in your pocket (to save, spend, roll around on your bed in) is BAD,BAD, BAD!  Or so lending companies would have us believe.  I think that this is a show of smoke and mirrors.  The only ones that benefit from the general public being in debt are the lenders. Not only are you on the hook for the principle, but they hope you NEVER pay it off; if you don't, they can collect interest indefinitely.  The best thing you can do for yourself is eliminate all Purchase (or Consumer) debt.  But how?  The simple answer - whatever it takes.  Cut out luxuries, reduce unnecessary services, diversify your income, or consolidate debt SMARTLY.

Example:I have a friend who has chosen to get rid of her five - FIVE! - credit cards by transferring the balances to a line of credit. That's five cards at 12-20% down to 3% on a line of credit.  Great! But it only works if : 1) she acknowledges that interest automatic payments will go up because the principle has increased, and 2) ALL PAYMENTS that were being put against the credit cards is put against the principle of the line of credit.

The reality is economies function because the free market allows.  In countries where the economy is government controlled, a free market forms naturally in the shadows; the black market.  

We don't need to live our lives in constant fear someone will knock on the door.