| Remember when you were growing up and you were | | | | The quickest way to dull the child's intelligence is to |
| told by your parents that you should do this and you | | | | give them beliefs in God, religion, society, even family |
| should not do that? | | | | values. Just let them form their own opinion and make |
| Mostly, it did not really feel right but you obeyed them | | | | the mistakes you were afraid to make. |
| anyway. It was easier to obey the parents and it often | | | | It is far better to make your own mistakes than to live |
| continued that way your whole life. In fact it is easier to | | | | someone else's life and make no mistakes; at least |
| go with the crowd. | | | | from your own mistakes you will learn. Children's |
| We know the crowd's intelligence; it operates at the | | | | intelligence also gets dulled by sitting long hours in class |
| lowest common denominator and the weakest link of | | | | and university having a whole lot of nonsense stuffed |
| the crowd is the intersection of ignorance and | | | | into them which they will cram for the exams. This one |
| intelligence. This is where you had the choice to rebel | | | | is a tricky because education is such a big draw-card |
| or obey. | | | | that we all must learn how to navigate this |
| It has always been a natural thing to want to be | | | | treacherous path alone. |
| honoured, respected and loved and for this we have | | | | Most children are born intelligent and almost ninety-nine |
| had to be obedient. When we were obedient we | | | | per cent of people die stupid. The function of the |
| were praised and loved and when we rebelled we | | | | parents is to support, nourish and love the children, not |
| were punished, ignored, neglected and unappreciated. | | | | to give them direction, beliefs, ideals and advice on |
| As young people are these days, we were years ago. | | | | how to live their life. They have eyes and can see |
| Nothing has changed, because by and large we have | | | | how we live our life and how we can often become |
| not changed and this natural urge we all have to be | | | | hypocritical and cowardly and pretend to be different |
| loved, appreciated and respected has been exploited | | | | to the outside world. |
| by everyone. | | | | Children can be helped by telling them the truth that |
| It is natural to want to live a comfortable life and to | | | | you have been conditioned by your parents and them |
| speak up for everything we hold dear to ourselves as | | | | by their own parents and it has been a long vicious |
| youngsters, took a lot of energy. Do we even do it | | | | chain. It was unintentional to the greater part but they |
| now? | | | | should not be influenced at all, nor encouraged to |
| So when we saw our parents and their friends and | | | | follow in your footsteps. When parents start telling their |
| the so-called older people saying one thing and doing | | | | children what is right and what is wrong they betray |
| another we swallowed our tongues and said nothing. | | | | their children's trust and cripple their intelligence. |
| Alternatively, we spoke up and constantly got into | | | | My mother and father told me that, "You need to be |
| trouble. I was very fortunate as I was growing up to | | | | free of us and listen to your own intelligence. "My dear |
| have a father who encouraged me to always tell the | | | | father did forget at times and then all hell broke loose, |
| truth no matter what the consequences and a mother, | | | | because I reminded him that he had told me to trust |
| still alive at 92 who only wanted me to be happy. | | | | myself. |
| Nevertheless, at one stage I had to rebel against both | | | | Many times, I also forgot and tried to please him but it |
| my parents to preserve my own truth. It was harder | | | | usually backfired on all of us and things got worse |
| because they had encouraged me to live this way and | | | | before they got better. It is better, surely for kids to go |
| speak the truth even if it was inconvenient for all | | | | astray and learn by their own experience but the |
| concerned. It was. | | | | problem of course is that none of us trust enough to |
| There will come a time even for the most harmonious | | | | let go of control and we say to ourselves," just this |
| of families to be divided in opinion and often the most | | | | time and I will step aside." But alas the time never |
| treasured ideals and beliefs will be challenged. These | | | | seems to come. |
| differences in opinion you may well have with your | | | | Ah, let the children be! Easy to say, not so easy to |
| neighbours, your family, your teachers, husband and | | | | practice. |
| even children. Are you prepared for such a chaos? | | | | |