"Study nature, not books."
- Louis Agassiz was born on May 28, 1807.
“Papa, let us all go to a shopping mall that has recently opened nearby. I want to play games there, and eat something new.”
Such a talk has, of late, become very common in every household today. We don’t go to parks and gardens any more. We don’t look at the Mother Nature for exploring its enormous treasure. We don’t eat those foods which were our routine varieties of life. What have we become so suddenly?
The fault is not of children but ours. We are not sparing time for them and we are not acting responsible about sharing what we had got naturally in our childhood. India that was living in her villages was backward in technology and infrastructure, is we use the modern benchmarks. But the same India was rich in every other sense since ages. While others were yet to know life, we had the outstanding knowledge of science, mathematics, defense, economics, ayurveda and even society. We had epics and Vedas. We lived in the lap of trees and on the bed of rivers. We knew diversity and we even knew how to co-exist with respect and love.
All that had been made possible by our straight connection to the earth and nature. Our bodies were healthier and our minds, sharper. We were happy with least machines and most hardships. So, isn’t it our earnest duty to pass the same legacy and lifestyle to the new generation?
It’s fine we drive car and use air conditioners, but our children must know the benefits of long walks and tanning their skin. Moving with times is good but forgetting good things times have given us through experience is bad. Materialistic happiness are here to stay but when they mingle well with holistic approach towards life, they become boon instead of bane.
If we will not groom our children well then who else will do it? And real understanding of life is always infused by parents into their kids, not just by books or teachers or schools or exhibitions. Only a strong foundation can help a skyscraper to stand tall for years. Children’s foundation can never become strong with malls and mechanical stuff. That’s why they need parents who can make them understand the difference between temporary and permanent assets. Let us all become better while dealing with children, to give them the best of both the worlds!
“Papa, let us all go to a shopping mall that has recently opened nearby. I want to play games there, and eat something new.”
Such a talk has, of late, become very common in every household today. We don’t go to parks and gardens any more. We don’t look at the Mother Nature for exploring its enormous treasure. We don’t eat those foods which were our routine varieties of life. What have we become so suddenly?
The fault is not of children but ours. We are not sparing time for them and we are not acting responsible about sharing what we had got naturally in our childhood. India that was living in her villages was backward in technology and infrastructure, is we use the modern benchmarks. But the same India was rich in every other sense since ages. While others were yet to know life, we had the outstanding knowledge of science, mathematics, defense, economics, ayurveda and even society. We had epics and Vedas. We lived in the lap of trees and on the bed of rivers. We knew diversity and we even knew how to co-exist with respect and love.
All that had been made possible by our straight connection to the earth and nature. Our bodies were healthier and our minds, sharper. We were happy with least machines and most hardships. So, isn’t it our earnest duty to pass the same legacy and lifestyle to the new generation?
It’s fine we drive car and use air conditioners, but our children must know the benefits of long walks and tanning their skin. Moving with times is good but forgetting good things times have given us through experience is bad. Materialistic happiness are here to stay but when they mingle well with holistic approach towards life, they become boon instead of bane.
If we will not groom our children well then who else will do it? And real understanding of life is always infused by parents into their kids, not just by books or teachers or schools or exhibitions. Only a strong foundation can help a skyscraper to stand tall for years. Children’s foundation can never become strong with malls and mechanical stuff. That’s why they need parents who can make them understand the difference between temporary and permanent assets. Let us all become better while dealing with children, to give them the best of both the worlds!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanjay V Shah (Journalist, playwright, film, TV serial writer, film critic, poet)
Presently |
|
Earlier |
|
Contact | |
Photo | |
Recent Articles |
No comments:
Post a Comment