Today on the occasion of Children's day the web is full of sad pictures depicting malnourished, deprived, lonely & hungry children ..in Somalia, Slums of India..children on streets.... etc. There is a wave of sympathy building up all over the web , donations getting poured in...Many hearts being wrenched & many tears being dropped for their general apathy.... Good!
Such pictures however, are reflecting a very different story to me today...
These kids and their condition are at least recognized by few individuals/ organizations and hence work is been done upon them..there is awareness been created too but the irony is that there are a large , growing number of so called "healthy , Nourished" kids around us , in our own families ..whose inner state reflect the same story. These kids are outwardly well provided for.. with best of education, clothed in branded items, going around in shopping malls in expensive cars....but they are still angry, lonely, hungry, confused, let down, insecure and labeled.... One needs an inner eye and not a camera to see such millions of kids around...they are amongst us. ..between us..right now, right here...No need to go looking for them in any slums
or Somalia...They have fancy names...and live in the most posh residential complexes... shrouded in sham , their behaviour & bodies sending out SOS messages for recognition of their inside story.."I exist . Look at me too... There is no difference between the Malnourished child in Somalia and me...We are the same...Our inner being is malnourished.. Do open your soul's eye and look into me ..I am hungry, insecure, lonely...I am a void inside...I am not allowed to complain as I am wrapped up in the best of material things.. I lie, I manipulate, I am scared...I have to live up to the expectations of the so called "Educated, Up market Corporate parental guidelines..I am being prepared for the Rat Marathon..I am just another product of this crazy Rat- race.. I am a child buried in the layers of many glittering masks..!
Today, let us all look into our own families first and then at the immediate environment ..we shall definitely recognize such faces romping around happily under the dazzling shine of golden masks...its easy to find such children. They are the ones who carry the labels of ...Naughty, bully, brat, spoiled, nice, good, obedient, logical , emotional ,sensitive, stubborn, shy, brave, coward, cry baby, over smart etc... Ever wondered why? If we as parents & as community are so good at bringing up children then why do we have such labeled children all around? Its time we pause & think not from our mind space but from a deep compassionate space within.. Its time we start sprinkling our own families & environment with awareness & love..and gently rip off the labels from every child...No child comes with masks...we the unaware individuals put it on them..the child just lives up to it..simple...! A child labeled as obedient shall keep on living up to the image & shall be obedient under all circumstances & events through out her life...Life shall continue to shower the child with events which require her to be disobedient at least once but because of the burden of the label which the child carries.. it would be difficult for the child to rip it off easily, even if it means to live with suppressed expressions & in a claustrophobic relationship.
The more we go deep with in, the more we recognize such children around us within us... Its time to wake up and get in touch with the child inside us for once..Its only when we start working towards parenting the child within , the sprinkling happens on the outside and around too...! Let us allow all labels to be dropped from a child..and that includes the child inside each one of us too. Let there be Freedom to Dream..to build..to construct ..to destruct..Just let the child BE !
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful piece let the child BE....
ReplyDeleteBut that said its a very daring parent who will let children “BE” who will acknowledge that the children are actually perfect beings given as gifts to us to enjoy and nurture and watch them evolve........the best we can do is not MESS them up? They really aren’t Job Responsibilities with KRA’s they are Perks.