IS CHILDHOOD A BEGINNING TO THE WORLD, OR A BEAUTIFUL LIE?
As a kid, I was raised to see that the world was beautiful. Almost all children are raised that way. You can't teach a child that the world is a terrible place, often thankless and unfair. Right?
Wrong. That is how I intend to raise my children.
Growing up, we are taught that our lives are precious. That is true. From the moment that we are placed on this earth, our lives are a ticking clock. Some of us have less time than others. Most people on this earth do nothing with that time other than..live.
What's wrong with living? Nothing, I suppose. But what is your time on this earth worth if you never made a difference?
I blame ignorance.
From the get-go, Americans are sheltered, kept away from those that would tarnish our image of being a strong country. We educate some children and leave others to starve in the gutter. The government takes care of who it favors.
Children need to grow up knowing that our government is corrupt, that they world they live in is crumbling apart. The kids we give life to are the ones who have the power to change this world. But, knowledge is power. If we never give them access to what they need to know, that power will fade out of their hands. Every generation, children are more sheltered, more distracted. The government provides so many beautiful illusions, technology that appears to be magic in our hands, celebrity scandals and reality tv shows to hide the fact that our world is being destroyed. Money is yet another distraction, another lie that pulls our eyes away from what we really are; a nation of fat, greedy liars.
EDUCATE YOUR CHILDREN. Teach them to be mindful of what they see. Eyes can be deceiving, but the heart will never lie.
Wrong. That is how I intend to raise my children.
Growing up, we are taught that our lives are precious. That is true. From the moment that we are placed on this earth, our lives are a ticking clock. Some of us have less time than others. Most people on this earth do nothing with that time other than..live.
What's wrong with living? Nothing, I suppose. But what is your time on this earth worth if you never made a difference?
I blame ignorance.
From the get-go, Americans are sheltered, kept away from those that would tarnish our image of being a strong country. We educate some children and leave others to starve in the gutter. The government takes care of who it favors.
Children need to grow up knowing that our government is corrupt, that they world they live in is crumbling apart. The kids we give life to are the ones who have the power to change this world. But, knowledge is power. If we never give them access to what they need to know, that power will fade out of their hands. Every generation, children are more sheltered, more distracted. The government provides so many beautiful illusions, technology that appears to be magic in our hands, celebrity scandals and reality tv shows to hide the fact that our world is being destroyed. Money is yet another distraction, another lie that pulls our eyes away from what we really are; a nation of fat, greedy liars.
EDUCATE YOUR CHILDREN. Teach them to be mindful of what they see. Eyes can be deceiving, but the heart will never lie.
Youth
"When I Was"
When I was 4 years old, I learned that warm milk helps you sleep at night and honey makes your throat feel nice and smooth when you're sick. Warm milk with honey mixed in is like tasting starlight.
When I was 6 years old, I learned that stuffed teddy bears have little wooden swords hidden in their fur, and they fight the nightmares that live under your bed.
When I was 9 years old, I learned that dogs don't live forever, even though they deserve to.
When I was 11 years old, I learned that a book character can care more about you than your best friend, even though that person consists of words on a paper.
When I was 12 years old, I learned that loneliness hurts more than scrapes and bruises.
When I was 14 years old, I learned that sometimes dying seems easier than living.
When I was 15 years old, I learned that a broken heart hurts more than the pain of loneliness, scrapes and bruises all put together.
I'm 16 years old now. I'm learning that sometimes, life isn't fair. No, scratch that. Most of the time life isn't fair. Sometimes, you can't roll with the punches. Sometimes, when you get knocked down, you can't get back up.
When I was 4 years old, I learned that warm milk helps you sleep at night and honey makes your throat feel nice and smooth when you're sick. Warm milk with honey mixed in is like tasting starlight.
When I was 6 years old, I learned that stuffed teddy bears have little wooden swords hidden in their fur, and they fight the nightmares that live under your bed.
When I was 9 years old, I learned that dogs don't live forever, even though they deserve to.
When I was 11 years old, I learned that a book character can care more about you than your best friend, even though that person consists of words on a paper.
When I was 12 years old, I learned that loneliness hurts more than scrapes and bruises.
When I was 14 years old, I learned that sometimes dying seems easier than living.
When I was 15 years old, I learned that a broken heart hurts more than the pain of loneliness, scrapes and bruises all put together.
I'm 16 years old now. I'm learning that sometimes, life isn't fair. No, scratch that. Most of the time life isn't fair. Sometimes, you can't roll with the punches. Sometimes, when you get knocked down, you can't get back up.
When I was 8 years old, I learned that sometimes your parents don't love each other anymore, and that has to be okay. Eight year old kids live in a sugar spun world built out of cotton candy and dreams that will break one day. I didn't even know what the word divorce meant, although it sounded like an ugly world. Never in the depths of my innocent brain did I assume that the put-together puzzle of my family was beginning to come apart piece by piece. When families fall apart, they don't come crashing down the way lego castles do when you're done living in the depths of your imagination. No, our downfall was rather like jenga. My mom and dad plucked and prodded each other apart with greedy fingers, bringing my brother and I down as well. We all clutched onto each other, hoping that the tower would hold up while we were ripping ourselves apart.
I know the definition of divorce now. I know a lot of definitions. I know a lot of math equations too. I know a lot of things. But I don't know how to grow up and be happy at the same time. I don't know how to keep my family from imploding. I don't know how to be an adult yet, but I'm being given all these decisions to make when I don't even know what I am yet, or what I want. This I believe. I believe that you can't force children to make huge decisions when they have so much other crap going on in their lives. If a teenager makes an important life decision during a point when their emotions are running high, or when they have a terrible situation at home, you can't expect their decision to be reasonable, or even smart. This I believe.
I know the definition of divorce now. I know a lot of definitions. I know a lot of math equations too. I know a lot of things. But I don't know how to grow up and be happy at the same time. I don't know how to keep my family from imploding. I don't know how to be an adult yet, but I'm being given all these decisions to make when I don't even know what I am yet, or what I want. This I believe. I believe that you can't force children to make huge decisions when they have so much other crap going on in their lives. If a teenager makes an important life decision during a point when their emotions are running high, or when they have a terrible situation at home, you can't expect their decision to be reasonable, or even smart. This I believe.
technology and how it's ruining society and childhood
technology gives a machine power over you.
As every generation gives birth to a new generation, they face the old age problem of monitoring technology. It is especially difficult for children in the 21st century. With new amazing inventions, it is even easier to shut out the rest of one's life and immerse oneself in the online world of the world wide net. Human beings are becoming robots, America in particular. We enjoy a reputation of being one of the richest and safest countries in the world. But, with that label, comes responsibilities. With millions of resources at the tips of our government's fingers, the rest of the world expects great things from our offspring. They are expected to be educated, proper, up to date on current events and well rounded in all categories. However, we are not quite living up to those assumptions. In fact, quite the opposite. As is stated quite frankly in the video above, "we have become an era of smart phones and dumb people." Technology is promoting greed and selfishness. When I was younger, my entertainment was outside. I was climbing trees and playing with my friends. My mom would have to drag me inside at the end of the day. Now, however, you never see children outside. The playgrounds are empty, no life to be found. Children today sit inside, playing video games. Although kids did that when I was younger too, their parents would eventually kick them out of the house, and they would have a better time outside than they ever could have in their room. But, with new breakthroughs in technology such as iPads and Xboxes, children are becoming complacent. When children become complacent, it becomes even more difficult for them to make smart decisions, as aforementioned. Technology makes it easier and easier for teenagers to drown themselves in a world of internet friends where other kids judge them on their personality alone when they can't even see their faces. Although these can be healthy relationships, becoming too involved in them and forgetting the real people who are around you is dangerous to one's mental health. When teens are pressured to make life changing decisions, they attempt to lose themselves in a digital world where they feel understood. Why can't the world around them make kids feel the same way? Why do children feel that they can talk to a stranger on the internet instead of their best friend?
why does this matter?
When I got my first smartphone, I had to earn it. I pay for my own data plan to this day, and if I don't do well in school, I lose the privilege. That was a smart way for my mom to raise me. I was taught that you have to work for what you want, and not everything will just be handed to you. That is a lesson that all children need to learn, but few actually do. When you hand a kid an iPad, a device that can access any piece of information, you give them the power to influence online media. That is a huge responsibility, and not one that should be taken lightly. When very young children are given devices such as an iPad without having to work for them, they are being taught to be lazy. Technology is a privilege, not a right. If kids grow up thinking that it is their right to possess these items, a greed will be instilled in them, a need for more and more of that technology that makes their lives so interesting. Teenagers are just as influenced by the media, and teenagers grow up into adults who have their own children. If our generation and the generation after us is constantly given these amazing inventions without a limit, the greed will take over. How can we change the world if our noses are stuck in our iPhones? Technology is very quickly becoming part of the American Dream. As is evident in "Death of a Salesman", a piece of technology prompted Willy to lie and become immediately defensive. That was something as simple as a voice recorder. Artificially intelligent devices have become a way to decide someone's place in society and how much wealth they possess. The more advanced the device, the more gossip there is about. This builds up an image around the individual, which is the essence of the American Dream.