I believe, only to a certain point, what Jester has said. It is true that we will all turn to dust some day, but what we do in life will live on in some way. If my parents had taught me that murder was ok then I may have murdered someone. Then the person I murdered would be dead, and they could have been the next person to make a drastic change in the world, such as a vaccine for AIDS. Or maybe if my parents hadn't spanked me when I was young I wouldn't have any respect for authority. If throughout my life my best friends hadn't been friendly to me at all, would I be who I am today? If Henry Ford hadn't invented the automobile, would we move around so much. If Ben Franklin hadn't floan a kite, would we have ever discovered electricity? If nothing mattered would we be having this conversation? If all these people had one instance in their life changed, would life as we know it be changed? If my brother hadn't let me listen to rock music when I was in 2nd grade would I be a slack jawed redneck that listens to nothing but country music?
I'm gonna live my life and have tons of fun doing it. My parents did the best job they could to raise me. I'm gonna raise my kids the best way I know how. I hope my kids raise their kids the best way they know how to help insure a better life for generations to come.