Children, Youth and Future Generation

[FONT=&quot]This is the essay I wrote for 150 B'day celebration of Swami Vivekananda. So just wished to share with my IL friends. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]“I loved my motherland before I went to America and England. After my return, every particle of dust of this land seems sacred to me.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Swami Vivekananda[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The rich heritage and culture of our country India is unique and respected throughout the world for we value our family and our religion. Family is a major factor in the well being of adults, children and society. Parents are an enormously powerful force in the lives of the children and the heart of the child-raising enterprise. Being a good parent requires providing a child with the gifts of love, attention, energy, and resources, generously and unstintingly over a long period of time. It not only involves nourishing the body, but it also involves growing a child's soul — by sharing the stories and rituals that awaken a child's spirit and nurturing the spiritual bonds creates meaning and morality in the child's life. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Children Today[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Children see both parents rushing off to work, leaving them in the care of someone else, a "childcare provider." As children venture outside the home they encounter a local residential environment that is often crime-ridden and unsafe. Children see a popular culture overloaded with adult sexuality and violence, and dominated by materialistic values. This is what their absent parents are supposed to protect them from. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The nature of the new toxic environment, of course, is different from the toxic environments of times past. Once children were beaten, now they are neglected; once they went hungry, now they are materially spoiled; once they lived in overcrowded conditions, now they sometimes live in virtual isolation. The most consequential change, particularly in recent decades, is deterioration in the bond between parents and children. No longer can children count on what they need most - loving parents devoted to their wellbeing who act as good role models and protect them from harm.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The child learns primarily through interactions with parents. The absence, emotional distance or preoccupation of parents strikes at the very heart of those values which we hope children are learning - trustworthiness, respect for others, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. It is mandatory for parents to be physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually present and involved in the lives of their children.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“What the world wants is CHARACTER. The world is in need of those whose life is one burning love, selfless. That love will make every word tell like a thunderbolt.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Swami Vivekananda[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]While many of the failures of moral development in children stem from poor attachment to parents, attachment alone is not enough. Prosocial behavior and moral values must be purposely taught, modeled, and reinforced by parents and other caregivers. A good example must continually be set. Indeed, strongly attached children will follow the example of parents. It is important to instill in children a respect for authority and a sense of obligation to comply with social rules. Character traits based on respect for authority and social rules, such as honesty, cooperation, responsibility, and self-reliance, are learned first within the family sphere. If learned well, these traits are then transferred beyond the family to deal with real life situations. [/FONT]
Youth and Parents Today:
[FONT=&quot]Modern society is becoming ever more adult-centered. Adults have more freedom than ever, especially freedom for their own self-development and self-fulfillment. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Young people "can't afford" to marry these days. Does that mean that their life styles would be worse than they were in the 1950s if they were to marry? No. It means that they think that they need more now than then they did then in order to marry. A consequence of these competing is the decreased willingness to make long-term commitments. [/FONT]Youth today values[FONT=&quot] independence and the realization of individual goals and self-definition are relevant as well. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We talk as though we value families but act as though families were a last priority. Our nation today is centered on competition, profits and greed, increasingly crowding out nonmarket work, centered on sacrifice, care and commitment. How much you get paid and what you can buy is all that matters. It is a small wonder then that parenting is a dying art. Small wonder then than that parents have less and less time for their children. And time is of course the most important investment for developing good character. None of these tasks are easily undertaken by stressed out contemporary parents of this generation. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]When families are unstable, when parents are absent, emotionally distant, or preoccupied, or when parents themselves are immoral, the learning of moral values by children is greatly hindered and the future generation is affected.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Children are the future[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Religion is not in the books, nor in theories, nor in dogmas, nor in talking, nor even in reasoning. It is being and becoming.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Swami Vivekananda[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]It is the truth to say that children are our future and if that is true, more time and energy should be put into the beginning stages of each child’s life. Supportive Families and Neighborhoods and the role of grandparent was to provide stability and security for their grandchildren which should be insisted and followed. Such "connecting bridges in parenting" are very important as they take on the role of providing security and stability to these children.[/FONT]
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Conclusions [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“Neither money pays, nor name, nor fame, nor learning. It is character that can leave through adamantine walls of difficulties.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Swami Vivekananda[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]What kind of family is likely to be most successful at instilling character and moral values in its children? Here are its key characteristics: An enduring family that engages regularly in activities together, has many of its own routines, traditions and stories, and provides a great deal of contact between adults and children. The children have frequent interaction with relatives, with neighbors in a supportive neighborhood, and with their parents' world of work, coupled with no pervasive worry that their parents will break up. The family develops a vibrant family subculture that provides a rich legacy of meaning for children throughout their lives. Time spent with children--quantity time--is arguably the central ingredient of the good family. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“It is only in the homes of educated and pious mothers that great men are born.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Swami Vivekananda[/FONT]
Most families accommodate to the mother's employment and in doing so provide a family environment that works well. The fathers take on a larger share of the household tasks and child care and this seems to have benefits for the children. We are dealing here with a change in society, and while there is adjustment yet to be made, we must not forget that “Great things can be done with great sacrifices only”. In a mad race towards what we call development, we must not forget our roots. Swami had rightly said:
“The whole western world is on a volcano which may burst tomorrow, go to pieces tomorrow. Now it is time to work so that India’s spiritual ideas may penetrate deep into the west. Therefore we must go out and conquer the world through our spirituality and philosophy. The only condition of national life, of awakened and vigorous national life, is the conquest of the world by Indian thought.”
Swami Vivekananda

Reference:
Various websites and Books on Swami ji !