To my blog yesterday, there was a rather angry response. This bitter response was by a senior professor, herself a parent. The argument of the lady was that the Young these days are responsible, too, for the "uncertain future".
What was the thrust of her complaint? Her basic argument was that the children from the Upper Middle class household are super lazy, arrogant, self centred. Forget thinking of the rest of the world, they do not even bother about the immediate family. Even if you spoon feed them with lots of knowledge, they refuse to study. They are stupid, but aggressive and over confident. They think that the Google Guru has all the answers. And, blah, blah, blah!
My response? It is multi-layered. First, I would like to put on record the fact that there are multiple exceptions to the rule Ma'am was referring to. Beyond my immediate family, I have my past as well as present students who are highly responsible, sensible, sensitive young people who care abundantly and genuinely for others, and for values. Nor are they hypocrites. There is a forthright frankness about them. They respond to honest sincerity.
My second point is that who makes them thus, the way Ma'am was referring to, or who is responsible for the careless heartlessness of the young? I would say, the adults. Students who see teachers with a low fund of knowledge, absolute lack of sincerity, without much responsibility or empathy, why would they respect such elders?
In the family fold, too, if they grow up watching eternally bickering parents, tearing each other apart right in front of the young one(s), listen-in-g to a mother who dishonours, insults, belittles, plots against the in-laws (whom the child(ren) may adore) for no rhyme nor reason, observing elders who gossip and/or watch meaningless serials and t.v. programmes, who have no themes/topics for discussion beyond films, fashion, food, in such a bleak scenario, who is to be blamed?
They live, moreover, in a hugely inter-netted world. A constant deluge of information about everything from everywhere is drowning them. They are hence not naïve. The innocence of their vision is also taken away from them while they watch the inane serials along with the elders or by the comics they are (made) addicted to.
They are, moreover, 'given'(!??!) Freedom, but are they introduced to discipline and the sense of responsibility that comes along with it? Indulging a child, I believe, is constantly communicating with him/her, talking/listening to him/her, not merely splurging money in an orgy, which would merely increase the consumer base of all sorts of TNC's!
Finally, given the limitations of space in a blog, and the attention span of a typical reader, may I conclude that ideal children require the i-deal treatment. No wonder, even in mythology, there was only one Arjuna amongst so many siblings and cousins! Old problem, in brief, in search of new remedies, right? Hence the title of the blog today!
Pratima@our children are our reflections, not to forget the refractions!
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