My faith tells me that the gift of intelligent life and free will requires me to carefully examine my thoughts, because that is where pride starts: in a lofty thought which may be subtle and reinforced by society. Being successful in the culture of man, does not begin with seeking and doing the will of God. So in this cyber-powered society, I pray for wisdom in all things, so that my path is in alignment …

Naturopathic Doctor, Greta Hauck D’Amico, who practices at Four Rivers Naturopathic Clinic in Auburn, California. She spoke to a group of citizens at Sun City in Lincoln, about the role of virtue in a cyber-powered world that hypes human judgment as truth. D'Amico offers insights for parents and grandparents struggling with concerns about the lessons featuring risky behavior, social justice conflicts, war and terrorism we are witnessing in the global social network and what this means for the future.

I often get calls from parents who are concerned about their kids dyslexia, ADHD, reading, writing, spelling, or math skills. And within our conversations it shortly becomes apparent to me that there is an additional problem that is interfering with their child's learning: having poor executive function skills.

Jay Bacrania, is the CEO of Signet Education in Cambridge, New York. He helps college-bound high school students develop and implement a personal strategy to prepare for and pursue a fulfilling college experience. “The internet makes it easier for students to consider applying to numerous places, and far away. It has become a kind of ‘arms race’ where students are applying to eight to ten schools.”

...Role clarification is a beautiful thing, and is easily obscured by misplaced desires to be in control of the successes in your child’s sports and school life. Unchecked, the devices beckon us to let it all hang out – all of the mistakes you witnessed your child’s coach make, and the unfair decisions about who to play and when. In the heat of the moment, broadcasting your dismay is a natural impulse. After all if your child’s sports experience is being sullied by someone who doesn’t care about the children like you do, or who is simply not qualified to coach, why sit by and say nothing? ...

“Social media is so incredibly superficial,” he said. “It is easy to be manipulated. So building trust with youth at home is incredibly important.” Davis describes trust as a cord of strands, wound together like a cable. “These are the deposits we make into the emotional bank accounts of our children through our regular interaction with them,” he said. “So we need to control our reactions to the things they say and do they will not be driven away.”

While the drive to fit in and feel connected is prominent during adolescent years anyway, this drive is intensified and can be used against them in very powerful ways with mobile devices and apps like Twitter, Instagram and SnapChat. Cooper Anderson sums up beautifully how being 13 is different today with social media: “There are so many more witnesses.” When we aim to have a relationship with a crowd, our life focus centers on pleasing people which inspires great anxiety. The simple truth is that self worth is first realized from within and then expressed outwardly; it is that inner knowing that we were created uniquely for a purpose that cannot be found by consulting the crowd or measured in worldly terms (sex, approval ratings, and money)...

This morning Banana Moments Foundation, a Roseville non-profit education center to strengthen parent and child trust bonds in a cyber-powered world, hosted a symposium on teaching youth to know their own worth. The symposium took place at the headquarters of Living Smart Foundation, a non-profit youth financial literacy and employment center in Carmichael. Marie Hall, founder of LSF, was one of the featured speakers who explained self worth as the engine of prosperity. “When I teach youth about financial literacy, I don’t start off by talking about money,” she said. “I teach to the psychological aspect of money – the beliefs, desires and values that impact decisions about earning, spending and saving.”

So the big question remains: what role does cyber connectivity play in your family life? Does it promote deeper, more engaged conversations to build trustworthy relationships? Or does it isolate individuals in your home leaving children vulnerable to bullying and exploitation? Below are some signs that the cyber technology is managing you and disrupting family bonding experiences essential to build trust, which is what digital natives value more than money.

If it is true that the brain believes everything you tell it, then it makes sense that the thoughts we choose become our reality. The genuine power of every individual rests in our God-given capacity to think for ourselves, in a world that hypes the power and control struggles rooted in untruth, or FEAR: