How the Media Influences the Future Generation
My daughter reads newspapers regularly… When the news broke out about the recent death of a Bollywood actor, she asked with much concern, ‘Papa, why did he take his life?’
She wanted to know more about why people commit suicide… To which my only response was, ‘I don’t know why.’
She went on to say, that the media not only claims he killed himself, but some celebrities are to be blamed for it too.
I, for one, have long stopped believing or disbelieving what the media says.
I simply look at a situation for what it is, and from my own understanding of it. But her questions worried me…
I thought to myself — Now my child not only thinks death is a solution for one’s problems, but that blaming others for it is OK too.
Is this the kind of society we are raising our children in?
She was upset because I didn’t have the answers… I was upset by the media onslaught that has left our kids confused.
Their minds are like sponge, absorbing everything we give them. And, information from the media is not only misleading them, but also glorifying blame for someone’s death.
Increased broadband availability gives them access to information from everywhere — family, education, friends, and the community — a dangerous territory to tread on.
The pure intelligence of kids is getting destroyed by what they are exposed to.
Is there any way we can protect our children…help them think differently, and become stronger in mind and spirit?
Here are my thoughts on clearing the path and making it more positive for our kids. Do add your own suggestions in the comment box below…
Don’t bring in change by force, but by transformation
The current news and movements like #blacklivesmatter, #metoo, the migrant issue in India, as well as celebrity suicides are simply thrown at you by the media in an attempt to bring about change… Instead, we must talk about the root cause of the issue and how we can fix it.
In the name of equality, we will eventually have more inequality in the minds and hearts of people… In the name of freedom, we will have trapped more people in their minds, and never free them from their plight.
The education system also has done nothing to bring about any sort of transformation in children… Their agenda is to make them nuts and bolts in an economic engine. So, people fall apart.
To escape the mind and its constant thoughts, they resort to drugs, alcohol or porn. But these are only temporary indulgences, which will lead to an even more broken society.
Kids will get further depressed; they will need an outlet and take to substance abuse or violence… Already there is a rise in gun killings in the US.
This is mainly because we are creating a society built on fear and insecurities, rather than security and inclusion.
We need to address the cause more than the issue, which is merely an outcome of that cause.
The media provides no positive reinforcement… It is mostly teaching the next generation that justice can only be gained by revolution — either online or offline.
The revolution will leave you dead or broken, but that does not matter, as it will finally boost sales of all the promoters involved — pharmaceutical companies, big brands, internet companies etc.
Why doesn’t the media say — ‘Okay this has happened, now let’s fix the cause.’
Every generation will see a host of issues. But it’s for us, as a society, to address these issues with a constructive problem-solving approach.
Schools put little emphasise on mental health, yoga and meditation. Even high stress jobs in the corporate and public sector pay little attention to spiritual growth…
Religion is always given more importance than the self.
The next generation needs to work on managing the faculties of mind, body, memory and imagination, to deal with situations in a growth-oriented manner… Only then can transformation happen.
Scientific research has shown the importance of yoga and meditation for a balanced life. These tools must be incorporated in a child’s growing years. This will equip them with more compassion toward themselves and other living beings.
Blaming and shaming is a media construct that is eroding the fabric of society… They are beginning to think it is the new norm. Moreover, it is instilling fear and anxiety in a child’s mind.
Children will fear opening up and expressing themselves to others.
They will live a life of seclusion, leading them to more depression, and will eventually find escape in suicides and other forms. They will become more reclusive rather than inclusive.
What’s worse, they will put the opinions of others over their own, making them realise only half their potential, and constantly relying on what the world thinks or how they are ‘expected’ to live.
Information being doled out by arm chair activists (read, the media) can be dangerous for our children.
When people tell you how to live, it’s another form of peer pressure.
It’s probably why the rate of suicides is rising in India… Because, many don’t feel they live up to a certain standard of society’s expectations of them. This approach is extremely damaging to our children.
Adults must play an active role in sieving the information their child is exposed to.
During my conversation with my daughter, I realised that because I have been on this path for a few years, things are a bit clearer to me. But for 40 years, I led a life with little clarity. I too was a victim of the media and all the recycled information.
That’s why it’s so important that parents first get a handle on their spiritual growth, and understand how to handle themselves better, before they teach their kids.
It’s necessary to introduce spirituality into our lives, in some way, so that we can raise our kids with more awareness.
It’s like the oxygen mask falling down in an aircraft, that has to be put on yourself first, before you make your child where theirs…
Spirituality will only enhance your life and perception; try it!
Also, talk to your kids about what they heard or read, and what they think about it.
The brain stores every bit of information it receives…
The young receptive and innocent minds of our children are often unable to process all the extra information around them. Thus, it can be damaging to their mental and emotional growth.
Introduce children to some form of yoga or meditation at an early age. This will help ground them, and later help them fly without excess baggage.
If children find mental equilibrium and emotional balance at an early age, they will become sensible human beings.
We will have a world of individuals with a higher consciousness, rather than a world of people who worry about ‘what others think’ and how ‘they’ expect us to live…
They will decide for themselves rather than letting others decide for them.
Today, in schools and colleges, children learn from textbooks. But it’s more important that they instil a spirit of inquiry, and question everything they are exposed to.
From an early age, we tell our kids to do as they are told to, but they only do what they observe.
Thus our actions or inactions play a major role when nurturing our kids. And the onus lies on every one of us — from parents to schools to the media and larger society — to keep checking and correcting ourselves.
We must encourage children to think for themselves, and not just obey or blindly follow trends and the media. We must create opportunities and activities for them to think independently.
Only if children continue to question, will they remain seekers…
Or, else, the spirit of wonder and inquiry will be lost at an early age.
Let children ask a million questions, and if as a parent you can’t answer them, say — ‘I don’t know’. In this way, they will look for answers on their own, and open their minds up to new possibilities
Don’t succumb to rehashing the information you know, instead give them reason to seek out their own solutions and truth.
If there must be a revolution, it should be that of individual transformation.
All news and media is not bad, as they keep us up to date with the goings-on in the world… All we need to do is develop the clarity and discretion to take in what we need and leave the rest. Also, question if the news harms or benefits you, and understand how to use that information.
The media is not the enemy…your brain is the enemy!
So, train it to choose wisely, and only keep that which serves your well-being.
Moreover, keep the mind free to experience life, without any pre-conceived notions, but from a fresh and new perspective…
The ability to see life as it is, is the biggest blessing we can give ourselves and our children!
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