The political, economic and religious ideals that our civilization imposes upon our children have a great influence upon them. Gradually, our society continues to turn up the heat on these falsely implied ideals. We put our children in a pressure cooker, add all that we believe they should become, lock the lid, and wait the prescribed amount of time to cook, all the time stoking the fire with our expectations. Tragically we often underestimate the capacity within and the pot explodes, releasing its contents in a natural reaction to the circumstances and pressure at hand. Sometimes the cook (society) is injured, but if he is wise, he will learn from his mistakes.
Seeking freedom from religious persecution, people from all around the world migrated to this country. This freedom was written into our Constitution, however from the initial conception of these beliefs, upon which our nation was founded, a few people have sought to manipulate those rights away from us. Today’s industrial giants drive our economy with a well-honed political wedge, cloaked in the illusion of marketing. P. T. Barnum was right when he said, “There is a sucker born every minute.” Does Barnum’s statement give us either the license (using our economic consciousness) or the right to use this against our children? Would they not, some day grow up to teach their own children the same thing? I read somewhere that the average child spends more time watching TV than he spends in school. No wonder these kids want everything under the sun. Sadly, many of their parents give in to them, either out of a lack of self-discipline, or the fear of governmental intervention in their methods of discipline.
Global communications have now plugged into the once isolated regions of the earth. Where previously primitive communities lived peacefully, they now freely receive the “benefits” of the calculated sword of media, driven by political economics. Hollywood, the once hailed entity that was to bring culture, drama and education to the world, now delivers auspiciously, multi-million dollar movies about sex, violence, crime, and the fear of extinction. Our adult society advocates these films by nonchalantly allowing our children to view them at their own leisure, repeatedly. Though some of these films may have a valid point to make, a child can not be expected to understand the emotional aspects of the characters, which they cheer on. Watching some one else swim looks easy until you try it for the first time. However, if you cannot touch the bottom, you will learn something, discovering either how to swim, or die in a panic by drowning. This is no doubt the result.
Attached to the tentacle of the media are the fingers of religion and the glove of spirituality. What a powerful tool the intangible is in the hands of a knowledgeable man. With the best intentions, religions around the world try to convince you (and your children) that they know the only answer. Not only will they tell you that you are incapable of understanding the utmost secret doctrines, but religious leaders often imply that if one follows the interpretation of another mans vision, you too can share the same vision. In this way, we set up our minds to embrace the intangible, as taught to us by one who claims that the concept of a supreme entity or entities are tangible, and pass our ideals on to our children. Like Pavlov’s Dog, our culture salivates through the motions of ritual, and upon receiving the spiritual biscuit, savoring it consciously trying to discern its flavor. No wonder our children and young adults choose atheism or fall back into ancient traditions of paganism and occult studies. It is these beliefs, which are possibly older than writing itself, that surface when other forms of religion are forced upon a mind that is full of the “I’m the only truth, and all else is a lie.” mentality.
We emphasize and encourage educational standards as determined by our government (the one that insures our economic success). Over the course of the millennia, the pursuit of knowledge has been at a premium, and educating the individual mind encompasses an interactive study between wise men. Although attaining this knowledge did not guarantee material wealth, it gave a sense of satisfaction by understanding the complexity of simplicity. Today, we compete to conceive perfect devices, intended to make our existence easier, and give ourselves more time to do as we please. This concept drives home the idea that the more education we acquire, the more free time we will have. We literally buy into this goal of attaining the highest level of knowledge (if we have the money); so that our government can take the largest possible share of our earned income taxes and we sill have more time. Only now, are our children beginning to have the insight (through one of the benefits of media) that money and material possessions do not insure happiness and peace of mind. Many of today’s young adults have chosen to remove themselves from the “normal” means of social order, and tag themselves to the retro concepts of the trends of the sixties and the era of free love.
Today’s children idolize film and music personalities with the hope that some special wisdom will be transferred to their hungry minds, to replace the diminishing role of mentors who used to impart their own unique perspective and wisdom. Repeatedly, through the millennia, humanity has used natural drugs to break through the concepts that have restricted their minds with definitive language. Things have not changed to this day. Children and young adults still experiment with drugs to break through the false conceptions and search for purpose. Without the shamans, or knowledgeable teachers, young people become addicted to a multitude of drugs in a vain attempt to dissolve the illusions that society has imprinted upon them. Unfortunately, many never recover from these addictions, and add to the burden on society, helpless in the hands of psychologists and psychiatrists who believe that there is something deeply wrong with the human psyche. Sadly the counselors they are correct but they usually lack the insight to tell their patients the truth because they too are blind from traditional education.
