Love and Respect
Its interesting to see that Love and Respect, IMHO(In my humble opinion) are two ends of a continuum.
What's more interesting is that, what are the attributes and pre-requisites for cultivating or maintaining these human qualities. In other words, will it be worthwhile to explore the ecosystem that supports these human qualities and make them thrive.
When a human being is born, he/she's dependant on the world at large for all his/her activities. A baby keeps crying for attention and gets his/her things done by the parents and other members of the family. At this juncture, its LOVE that should be available in adequate measure. Without this quality, you cannot expect parents to do things for kids without any expectations or benefits in return. Now as years go by, the kid grows up and becomes mature,he/she's aware of the world around . What happens as a result is a growth of individuality. They start developing their brain/experience based on the incidents and situations they come to face.
A stage is reached when a person becomes indepedent and is confident to stand on his/her own legs. This should be recognised and realised by family members and what should stem as a consequence is a RESPECT for the child's sentiments/dreams/opinions. They should feel happy and proud of this development and provide conditions that will help their child to thrive and excel at his talent/skillset.
Now coming to conditions that will lead to development of LOVE and RESPECT, having closely observed two countries and cultures (India and US), its amazing as well as amusing to see that while shortage forces one to develop LOVE, excess or surplus makes it more suitable for RESPECT to thirve.
Its not uncommon for siblings to share food,books and even clothes(UNISEX) in India. Sharing develops warmth, affection and sense of compassion for fellow human beings.
On the contrary most US communities believe in treating even small children with a sense of RESPECT and privacy for the individual and hence what gets missed out is a due share of LOVE, especially for kids who need it most. Its not uncommon for kids to have their own table/bedroom/books/computers. This gives them a false sense of comfort and identity and also sometimes leads them to being very possessive about their personal stuff.
While Indian families need to start cultivating RESPECT for teenagers/adults, Western society definitely need a lesson or two in giving a healthy dosage of LOVE for kids till they become mature and independent.
That would be a healthy marriage of eastern and western values and will result in a more humane world.
What's more interesting is that, what are the attributes and pre-requisites for cultivating or maintaining these human qualities. In other words, will it be worthwhile to explore the ecosystem that supports these human qualities and make them thrive.
When a human being is born, he/she's dependant on the world at large for all his/her activities. A baby keeps crying for attention and gets his/her things done by the parents and other members of the family. At this juncture, its LOVE that should be available in adequate measure. Without this quality, you cannot expect parents to do things for kids without any expectations or benefits in return. Now as years go by, the kid grows up and becomes mature,he/she's aware of the world around . What happens as a result is a growth of individuality. They start developing their brain/experience based on the incidents and situations they come to face.
A stage is reached when a person becomes indepedent and is confident to stand on his/her own legs. This should be recognised and realised by family members and what should stem as a consequence is a RESPECT for the child's sentiments/dreams/opinions. They should feel happy and proud of this development and provide conditions that will help their child to thrive and excel at his talent/skillset.
Now coming to conditions that will lead to development of LOVE and RESPECT, having closely observed two countries and cultures (India and US), its amazing as well as amusing to see that while shortage forces one to develop LOVE, excess or surplus makes it more suitable for RESPECT to thirve.
Its not uncommon for siblings to share food,books and even clothes(UNISEX) in India. Sharing develops warmth, affection and sense of compassion for fellow human beings.
On the contrary most US communities believe in treating even small children with a sense of RESPECT and privacy for the individual and hence what gets missed out is a due share of LOVE, especially for kids who need it most. Its not uncommon for kids to have their own table/bedroom/books/computers. This gives them a false sense of comfort and identity and also sometimes leads them to being very possessive about their personal stuff.
While Indian families need to start cultivating RESPECT for teenagers/adults, Western society definitely need a lesson or two in giving a healthy dosage of LOVE for kids till they become mature and independent.
That would be a healthy marriage of eastern and western values and will result in a more humane world.
posted by Chandrashekar | 3:13 PM
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