A mother teaching her children. What could be better?
Friends, a quick look across the world reveals that it is in a parlous state. Consider the following:
The U.S. is bankrupt and its Government is in stalemate, there are wars everywhere, many nations in Europe can’t pay their debts, there are riots in many countries, the rich have most of the world’s wealth, the poor are being squeezed to bailout corporations, media moguls like Murdoch are running many Governments, famines abound as does poverty, NATO is bombing Libya to no avail, battles between religions abound, imperialism is rife, gun massacres proliferate, drug barons have their own armies, the Palestinians are still under illegal occupation, drug taking and alcoholism is on the increase…and so it goes on and on.
Most people would say to the above: “So what’s new?”
I would counter and say, “Things must change. We can’t allow this madness to continue any longer.”
“So what would you change?” you might ask.
I would change the whole paradigm beginning at birth. It’s because we keep filling the minds of our kids with the idea that failed systems (democracy, capitalism, nationalism, militarism, etc) are somehow right and proper that perpetuates these corrupt systems. What we need to tell them is the truth: The world is a complete stuff-up because of the abject failure of most of the current systems which control us!
We need to shield them from the indoctrination that perpetuates the current systems: indoctrination about the wonders of capitalism and materialism and democracy and Western cultures, the need for nations to fight wars, and the importance of being good little consumers and producers, and that we must be citizens who obey the law no matter how bizarre it is, etc..
Firstly, we, the people who see what the world is and want to change it, need to stop our children going to school where they are indoctrinated by the teachers who themselves are victims of a rigid system of indoctrination.
We need to turn our children into thinking beings, not zombies who mindlessly accept the status quo, who later become the sheeple that are ruthlessly exploited by the Predators who currently control our world.
Most parents can teach their own children the rudiments of language and maths. But, by undertaking a bit of research using computers (or availing yourself of carefully selected correspondence courses), we can also teach them about philosophy, about basic psychology, about sociology, about geography and economics and science and anthropology, etc., open their minds!
All of our home teaching should revolve around the idea that there are various systems both past and present that have various pluses and minus. There are lots of civilizations to compare and contrast. Kids need to know about the facts but not be influenced to adopt any particular system. That will come as they get older and make more and more decisions for themselves. Properly educated, they should question everything and conform to nothing! They should be free spirits. They should be encouraged to be creative, tap into all their potentials.
Secondly, we need to stop our children watching television which is a potent indoctrination source. It preaches the wonders of materialism and competition. It pushes things like racism and elitism and nationalism, things which turn kids into bigots and snobs.
Next, we should keep them away from religious institutions and the nonsensical indoctrination that they receive there. It would also save them from being molested by some of the depraved clerics who infest our world.
To educate your kids at home means that one parent must stay at home. But is that such a big deal? You had the kids and you should do what is best for them especially if, in so doing, you are helping them and helping to change the world for the better.
So let’s get rid of indoctrination and replace it with thinking and questioning and broad knowledge. The rewards will be well worth it as more people become mentally liberated!
Who knows what new systems will result once we humans are freed from the tyranny of mind-deadening indoctrination, indoctrination encouraged by those who manipulate us for their own ends?
We might even find peace and happiness for a change.
David, education indeed is one of the key foundation of our world and we do need to make it right. Perhaps there is an apparent indoctrination but our power to transform our world is still there. Yes we do have the power to transform our world and this maybe our last chance, our last decade.
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Joe, we humans are indoctrinated from birth. Once the indoctrination is complete, most humans can no longer think outside the box, join the dots so to speak.
We have to break the cycle, truly educate our children, stop them becoming pawns of politicians, capitalists, etc., turn them into thinkers.
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Don’t get me wrong, I think that better education is a key. However…
For the last five years my daily question has been: How can the system that is evolving world wide be modified for the better? It is not a question of wishful thinking. My career has been about modifying systems to make them more efficient.
In this case, I must admit defeat. I think we are way past changing the system. Very few individuals think outside the box and being a small minority they have little if any influence. The fix is on and everybody that is anybody is in on it. The people holding the power are not going to change their ways until the structure of society as we have known it is totally crushed.
Not optimistic!!! I agree but let’s get real. All the good intentions in the world cannot overcome what is going on right now. Sorry. To put it in religious terms for those who prefer the battle between Good and Evil is finished and Evil has won.
Nothing short of a bloody revolution to the finish is going to change anything. As of now, people in general are not prepared for this eventuality because the pain is not enough to justify giving up your life. However once it is clear that the pain will only increase and that enough people are deprived of the basic necessities maybe we start seeing a change.
As we have seen in Egypt, marching in the street is not enough to bring in real change. That will never be enough. At the present time in our history, the proponent of the established system are well armed and are not deterred by the killing of any and all individuals that oppose the abuse of the Elite. They also have enough bullets for every one of us.
You would think that eliminating corruption in all facets of life would be the thing to do and that better education would bring on a better form of human existence. Theoretically, you are right but in real life things do not work that way. Corruption is a form of human behavior that has a life of its own. You can’t eliminate it. You can slow it down but only for a small period of time.
Greed is the new God and greed can only increase. Greed is well understood by all people in a position to play the game. Worst yet if you have the possibility of corruption and do not partake in the operation you are a fool.
As for a better education, God (or whoever) only knows what that means and better yet how to get there. I have had what I consider a good education in the sense that it was varied: science, social science, business and arts. My mother use to tell me: “You are too smart for your own good.” That education was available 40-50 years ago. Somehow I developed thinking outside the box instinctively.
Was that a plus in my life? I continue to think that it is a double edge sword. Yes, I can figure out what is wrong and where is it coming from but when I share my point of view, people look at me as if I came from an other planet. I was a Management Consultant specialized in improving the performance of organisation. I was good at it because of the outside the box approach I brought to my work. The clients that understood what I was recommending made massive improvements but the others just looked at me as if I was an idiot. They paid me and sent me on my way. It was frustrating.
Now I see what is wrong with our system and recognize the symptoms of a society going down the tubes with no hope of any reversal before total destruction.
Sorry I wish I had a more positive outlook. Maybe a good education is not the key to a better life on this planet after all but it does give you the possibility of determining why you are in pain.
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David G Reply:
July 29th, 2011 at 9:19 am
Michel, I share your pessimistic outlook depending on which day of the week it is. But something within me refuses to give up and doing something is better than nothing.
It is interesting that you and I and others on this forum escaped the indoctrination that traps most people. I have often wondered why that is and whether it is a plus or a minus.
As parents, we can break the indoctrination cycle and free our children from the fate that consumes so many. And the more people that break the cycle, the more chance that they will get into positions of power and bring about positive change to this disintegrating planet!
Stay strong!
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David G.,
Not having any kids allows me to look at things in a different way: a less ambivalent way. As George Carlin expressed it so beautifully, (paraphrasing) I have given up on humanity and now I am just a spectator. I have no dogs in the race.
Honestly, I would not be as relaxed if I had kids. I would know how to educate them to be honest, work hard, do their best etc… But how do you prepare them for the kind of society we are growing into?
Basically telling them they can’t trust anyone unless they have been thoroughly tested. How do you keep them open to life’s possibilities but at the same time knowing that paranoia is the new rule in relationships. It appears such a screwed up approach to offer children.
I learned to think outside the box because I was brought up in such a screwed up environment that it became very clear very early in life that authority could not be trusted to have my best interest at heart. I had to think for myself, I just could not buy into the elders’ BS.
For me, not having put kids on this planet is probably my biggest achievement. In this society were being young is supposed to be a plus and where a lot of people would like to be 10, 20, 30 years younger, I stick out like a sore thumb. Thank God, I am old enough to know better.
May the Force be with You and Yours.
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David G Reply:
July 29th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
Michel, many people have made your decision and have not regretted it. To bring children into this madhouse of a world does seem to be questionable.
For those who have them, trying to keep them from being contaminated is a difficult if not a nearly impossible task. But we must try for their sakes.
Cheers.
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Correction – I added a word “faith” to the last paragraph
David, I notice intelligent and sincere discussions on your blog. I agree with most of your views inchanging the world. I come from a devastated culture by American atrocities and I am not optimistic about changing the world while Americans are roaming freely to wage havoc & terror around the world. They are violent people with an insatiable lust for blood. I fully agree with you that adults learn about good & evil since childhood. As a Muslim, I believe a child education begins in the mother’s womb but again I know you are an Atheist so you believe educating the child soon after birth.
But, there is a big problem in some societies such as America – the power of the big brother and evil forces (the elite). I come from a region where empires have come & gone – starting with Babylonians, Assyrians and Persians through the Greeks (under Alexander the Great), Romans and Crusaders to the recent British empire; they all collapsed because they all wanted to conquer humanity but they all failed. Nothing left of them other than the ruins for tourists to see. Even the British Empire as the arrogant Brits once refered to it with the slogan “the sun nver sets on the British Empire” has been reduced to a mere island slightly more productive than the Island of Taiwan. Who ever thought that the Soviet Union would one day collapse under its own weight? Trust me America’s fate is coming not far away. Just read the economic barometers by such people as PCR and others. The Americans had to conquer Iraq and other countries in the Middle East just to extend her life a little longer – like putting someone on a life support.
I have lost so much faith in the human race it might be too late to educate the children. America is like a ship with a big leak in high seas. It’s going down for all the crimes it has committed against humanity.
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David G Reply:
July 29th, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Ahmad, thanks for dropping by and leaving such an interesting comment. We value comments from across the world because they show just how similar we humans really are!
Most human want peace in their lives and they hate the Predators that cause nothing but destruction and death!
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Getting children out into society, where they can interact with all kinds of people, is an essential element of education. In fact, sneaking out of his parents’ palace and seeing the world first-hand was the first step in the historical Buddha’s path to enlightenment.
Home schooling (with some exceptions) isn’t the answer. Plus, it’s yet another huge task thrown at the feet of already under paid and under appreciated women (for the most part).
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Michel Reply:
July 30th, 2011 at 5:37 am
I have to agree here. Isolating kids is not the answer. Just like removing kids from contact with bacterias (as we are doing now), it is going to make them more vulnerable to disease.
Isolating them from society is not the answer. They need to get out there and develop defense mecanisms. One thing is sure, the parents will need to keep in close contact with their children in order to minimize the damage.
Make sure they have a male model somewhere in their relationships. I love moms but you need a guy to show kids how to use testosterone efficiently.
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Denise, we need to protect our children from society otherwise they will grow up to be the next indoctrinated group and history will repeat itself as it has always done.
We have to break the cycle and stop marching towards our own doomsday!
Michel, educating our children and cutting out most of the propaganda will minimize the damage! If we do nothing, then nothing will change. The world is full of educated sheeple. This is not what education is supposed to be about. As an ex-teacher I know the system well and its many shortcomings!
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David,
Not to be pesky about it but cutting out the propaganda is a very short term solution. Kids need to learn what propaganda is and unless exposed to it they will not learn to recognise it. That is were the parents come in. They need to develop tools to fight against it. They need to develop survival strategies to survive in such a society. That will not happen by isolating them from propaganda or society.
The best defense is a good attack unless your opponent has a gun or knife then the best defense is getting the hell out of there.
There is so much propaganda, lies, etc…around, try to isolate them is not going to work unless you become Amish.
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I would like to add.
If you have a cat and decide to take away his claws because you cherist your furniture and you do not want your children to have their eyes scratched by accident that is cool but you can never let your cat outside the house. If you do, he will never come back because he will have been killed by an other animal.
Not having his claws to defend himself he has no chance of surviving an attack.
Same thing for kids.
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Michel, the problem is that kids are exposed to massive amounts of propaganda BEFORE they can recognize it or realize how mind-numbing it is.
In the early years of their lives, children are like sponges: they absorb everything without question. By the time they are mature enough to think for themselves, the damage has been done.
The chaos that afflicts our world demonstrates clearly that most people can’t think either outside the box or even within it. In the main, they just accept what they are told, think that the way things are is how they should be. This is just what the Predators want!
If a system is broken and corrupt, change it, I reckon! Doing nothing is not acceptable.
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Joe Delsen Reply:
July 30th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
David G, perhaps there is something we can do by helping push the solution strategies that many of our concerned fellow earth citizens are implementing, like:
(1) Put out crises and avoid devastating risks (2) leaders formulate and implement a just and sustainable political and economic system (3) leaders transform our industries (4) we the people participate and make our governments work and (5) we directly participate in our individual or collective capacities in transforming our world. http://bit.ly/SolutionStrategies
I think that the power of our hearts and minds to transform our world is still in all of us. All we need to do is to help ignite this power and you may be doing it in your own unique way.
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David I agree with the sponge factor that is how Chritians sell Jesus at the same time as Santa Clause and the Muslim sell Mahomet and Ramadan.
The parent’s job as I was told is to explain to children what is going on around them and correct false impressions gathered by kids. I am also told that you do not need to argue with kids before a certain age as they do not have the intellect to support your reasoning which is in fact YOUR propaganda.
But there will come a time when the child’s brain will open up to the outside world as being distinct from his world and that is the time to start real social education.
Propaganda is not optional, it is reality. You can’t run away from it. The best you can do is offer alternative thinking when the moment is right.
You say: By the time they are mature enough to think for themselves, the damage has been done. This is were you and I really disagree. Unless you have a moron on your hands this is false by any standard. Not everything they have absorded is bad and with your patience and psychological exchange you can propose alternative perceptions on any and all subjects that you feel needs improvement.
Your job is to support them in the process of discovery. They will never be perfect. They will be themselves, hopefully with some of the good stuff you have offered them.
Trying to control kids to the level you suggest will not only drive you and your patner crazy but will garanty your kids will need therapy for most of their adult life.
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I agree with Michel. The problem lies in the fact that it’s simply too late to change things. Evil has indeed won. The time for the common people, the people of conscience to take control of their own lives and destinies was centuries ago, and yet generation after generation has squandered the opportunity. Conversely, the wealthy and powerful have made it an agenda to conquer the rest of the human race. They’ve been patient and cunning—and today, you see the terrifying result.
Human beings, on the whole, share essentially three basic traits, evolved from the survivalist gifts that allowed our species to become the dominant one on Earth to begin with: Greed, envy, and clannishness. A deadly mixture of evil that has lifted the few up and gauranteed the many will worship and follow. It’s a process that hasn’t slowed for thousands of years.
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Late Revolution, perhaps we have passed the point of no return but I find it difficult to accept it. I keep tilting at windmills although with much less bravado these days. If I see a problem, I want to fix it. You would think I would’ve learned by now but no!
I have during the past few years recommended genetic tinkering with our human nature. That has been rejected by many. I have also recommended that humans be given a pacifying drug to curb their lust and violence. That was rejected as well.
My idea of home teaching seems to have been given the thumbs down even though most seem to agree that the current education system is badly flawed and the effects of television and religion are counterproductive and mind-deadening.
I guess I’ll continue on putting ideas forward. It’s in my nature. It’s also in my nature never to give in.
Like you, I long for a better world, a peaceful world.
For me, there is peace in feeling that I am doing something, however much it might be a waste of time!
I’m not Robinson Crusoe!
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David,
16 years ago, I gave up on humanity but I never gave up on my friends and family. I decided that the only people that would benefit from my being on the planet would be them and sometimes those who paid me.
) Got to make a living.
Taking care and protecting my loved one was a God sent.
Doing what you feel is right is the source of happiness. Nobody is going to save the world from its karma. But you can help your loved ones along.
As for your suggestions, they might not have been accepted on this forum but the New World Order is doing exactly that: genetic tampering and drugging the masses. That is part of the s… happening in the world right now. Check the news in the last two weeks.
As for religion and television, you can exert control over those in the home. So all is not lost. Nothing wrong with windmills as long as you are aware that they are your windmills.
Take care and again may the Force be with You and Yours.
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David G Reply:
July 30th, 2011 at 7:59 pm
I have enjoyed the debate, Michel. I do feel that proper education is the answer to our world’s problems. Achieving it is the difficulty!
May the force be with you and yours. That and peace.
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Know Thyself. Written above the entrances of the ancient schools of Greece, as one enters.
The Ancient Greek aphorism “Know thyself”, Greek: γνῶθι σεαυτόν, gnōthi seauton, was inscribed in the pronaos (forecourt) of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi –
The maxim, or aphorism, ‘Know Thyself’ has had a variety of meanings attributed to it in literature. The Suda, a 10th Century encyclopedia of Greek Knowledge, says: “the proverb is applied to those whose boasts exceed what they are,”
[2] and that “know thyself” is a warning to pay no attention to the opinion of the multitude.
In Latin, the aphorism is generally given as nosce te ipsum
I love the internet as a tool of instant information!
I am home with a nine year old for two and a half months. I treasure these precious times. Life has not been perfect, but we have managed to protect him to a great extent as far as what he gets to watch and see. We are also lucky he is a reader. He signed up to read 50 books for the summer and is getting close. We live in a town that rewards such things. At this age the 3R’s are what is important. We recently started with math tutoring. It takes place on Skype which is a new experience for us. It’s been kind of fun. This summer he got to do some of the things he likes and we have also worked with him so that when school starts it won’t be a total shock. We spend a half to an hour on scholastics to keep the brain thinking and then the rest of the day is open. The trick is getting outdoors. I can’t send him out alone. We have also had to end friendships that were not positive. Unfortunately that is the way to handle certain situations is – to not allow them to happen. However we do talk about it and we work to stay close as a family, even if it is just three of us. I feel that he makes good use of his time and he will be a teenager before we know it. Middle school I imagine is a greater pool of kids and we are lucky to have a school system that provides kids with lots of choices based on their interests. It is a college town, so we ride our bikes half of the time and all the kids can ride together to school. We wanted something better than alot of what we have seen out there. There are nooks all over where people are trying to make a better World. It is a different system than what my husband and I grew up in. We are locals. However the way education is nowadays, the parents HAVE TO be involved. It doesn’t matter how great your school is. I only have say and legal control for a few more years. It is important to me that he knows himself and is comfortable in the world, with a good foundation of knowledge. My Mother a, “Cradle Catholic” raised me Hindu and my Jewish father hated that. I come from such a twisted background that all I want for my son specifically is, stability. Now in a place where the poles are expected to shift and who knows what, he is a unique person with unique gifts and we try to create the space for him to feel free and good seems to come out of that. He loves electronics and that is hard to monitor the amount of time sometimes. We encourage variety and body awareness. Like, if life is a pie – how many slices do you want to devote to this or that? In ways like that we encourage him to be intellectually aware. He is also just a kid! Kids need to play and have other kids their age to play with. School is really good for that. Alot gets worked out on the playground.
I think understanding the deficiencies in our upbringings helps us to fight for the kids better. I wish someone would have done the same for me, but that is another subject. There is a certain part of the known World that is navigable. We all have our blind spots. Helping kids who may have their own blindspots, helping them find their own way is a parent’s job. Then they don’t have to reinvent the wheel and can hit the ground running, sts.
Or they can run away and join a cult – like me! : )
NOT.
Thanks, David and all, great subject.
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