Let's Press The Reset Button
Posted on Aug 30, 2020 by Harsha Vardhan (Founder Director & Trainer)
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It is a human tendency to 'belong somewhere'. It is an indelible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to belong. It provides a sense of security and personal space. God does the initial set up of parents, children and siblings. The young child bases his identity as belonging to a particular family. The child grows up with the conditioning first of his family, then his peers and then the outside worldly environment. He also acquires the values, culture, language, religion, social setting, prejudices and his sense of right and wrong, thereby making parenting a most significant aspect of mankind. Man knows how to go to the moon and send probes to Mars but has not yet agreed upon how to bring up children.
Paramhansa Yogananda said, "Environment is stronger than will-power". He did not say it only for children but for the entire human race. As children get exposed to worldly ways, their body, mind and soul, all get influenced by the environment. Once amongst their peers, they soon try to pigeonhole themselves in classifications of rich or poor, talent x or talent y, fair or dark, tall or short, this game or that game, interest in this music or that music, intelligent or mediocre, front benchers or back benchers, attitudes and similar dispositions. Society programs us to seek exclusiveness and not inclusiveness or oneness.
Then as the years inevitably speed away, the challenges, traumas, desires, experiences, attitudes are never fully resolved but nevertheless they are cleared up for higher levels of academics. Those grades are no measure of inner growth and clarity of life-vision. Their hearts chained by unresolved issues simply get a 'pass' over to the college. Most of their precious effort is being dragged back by their conditioning which teaches them to succeed, at all costs. The definition of success is mostly monetary in nature and how much of an ego boost it can fetch.
Such vulnerable little boys and girls often get swept away into a merciless society and either learn to elbow everyone else out or stand head and shoulders above the rest. In the modern world success for humans is evaluated by the house he lives in, the car he drives, the number of cars he has, his bank balances, power and influence, the schools his children go to, the clothes he wears and the obvious list of things we all know. Everything is characterized by a pretentious display, primarily designed to impress. Even the economies are judged by the 'growth' over previous years. The system is rigged with greed. Even the hospitals are now an 'industry'.
Such grown up children with scores of unresolved emotional and mental issues are made the future of a country, our leaders of tomorrow. They run it the way it has been running for decades. The system doesn't forgive a sore thumb or unconventional thinkers, who may be detrimental and a hindrance to their profits generation. The out-of-the-box thinking heroes are briefly sung and systematically forgotten unless they contribute to the profits.
The population of robots fed on television, internet and luxury seeking aspirations, is kept blind by making them seek more of what they are programmed to have. Those unresolved, insecure, uncertain children, now adults, live in a delusionary fantasy world. The credit card generation, fed on a programmed diet of what the media serves them, constantly suffers a sense of lack and their aspirations are governed by the media and advertisement which has mastered the art of seduction for vested interests. Humans are now as useful as their 'market' potential.
God provided for everyone's needs but not greed. And now a 7 billion population is living on a dying planet, trying to shove each other aside. We have accepted the 'Me first' principle as a norm. Our self-centric attitude is termed as a 'practical approach'. We have, as a society, begun to accept selfishness as an acceptable trait. All the innocent hearts born each year are being consistently slivered and pulverized in the shredder of life. The system is automated and like 'animal farming' we are growing robots who will obey, work and bite your bait of lusty worldly pursuits. At some point they will be micro-chipped in the name of progress. As Pink Floyd rightly sang in 1979 "Another brick in the wall".
Solution needed:
It's time we pressed the reset button. If a human mind is so programmable, let us reinvent. Let us Unlearn. Let our schools be institutions of unlearning. Let each parent rethink. The rulers will automatically follow. The world needs rebels with a heart, free thinkers, counsellors, healers, poets, painters, scientists who give up patents, nature lovers, singers, people who serve as their dharma, peacemakers, economies that measure human wellness, de-weaponising strategies, environmentalists, schooling that teaches to serve others first, education on morals, sensitizing ethics, disability rights groups, citizens to serve each other and spiritualists who erase the distinctions of religion, cast and creed.
Gaylord Nelson's quote comes to my mind - "The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard."
Mahatma Gandhi said, 'Be the change that you want to see in the world'. The consciousness of the world needs a realignment. A re-centering of our hearts and aspirations. Teach your children more with hearts. Reprioritization of our life needs to be done. This will happen only when you look elsewhere, away from your phone screens.