How we imagine our children in future.

Quote Unquote from Pashu by Devdutt Patnaik, the bestselling Indian Author "Today children are increasingly domesticated and transformed more than nurtured. Today, we do not see a child as a Papaya Tree that he/she is but we want them to grow as a mango tree. So we work hard to make a papaya tree to a mango tree by using various gardening and bio-engineering techniques." Yes! Above is a food for thought.

As a parent at times I ponder: "My child is my responsibility. And, what exactly does this mean? I think, this means that all round development of my child is my target."

To illustrate better, this is what we exactly understand by Overall Growth: -



Family and Personal Front:

I am a very busy parent. Whether a father or a mother, with professional constraints or no, I always ensure that I am well aware of what my child is doing. I intend to spend "quality time" with him. A lot of time I do fail. When I fail to give my child the limited time that I have then, I fail to develop a relationship with him/her. This means at personal front, the future my child may have a vacuum as emotional development has not happened. Parents are sent to old age home, adults cannot take pressure : they go to depression, they suicide. These are few such outcomes.

Social Circle and Surroundings:

Whenever I see children, in the parties, in their verandah, in the complex corridors, in the car at the signals, etc I see them with Gadgets. I see that with technology, awareness of surroundings has increased many fold. My child is updated with current affairs, his social networking friend count is o my god, but when we were small and we met other children have so much fun and this for me is social surrounding and this for me is life. Do I see my child as lifeless as a plastic doll : a trim and proper plastic doll.

Social Welfare:

Most families are nuclear families and children have no siblings with whom they fight and they learn to share their things. But as a parent I always had the urge to teach him the joy of sharing his old clothes before diwali festivals, old books before new session begins. I am teaching my child to be caring towards needy people and considerate when he sees old people around. In future my plastic doll will surely have a heart to spend on orphanage and on old age, but will he/she have time to give all that affection to them which they truely need. Professional and Skills: I am leaving no stone unturned to take my child to every possible course so that he becomes super skilled. I am making him a Jack of all trades. Sometimes it seems like a rat race. A race for which I burn, (or so called invest) a major portion of my earnings. The source of inspiration for such investments is the popular ted talks and likewise which has shown that when In future the artificial intelligence will take all jobs, only most skilled human will survive.

So as a parent I want my child to have one skill : jack of all trades and master of one trade.

So in future will my child be : A skilled robot capable of taking decisions.

In this highly competitive world where I am sharpening the brain I am forgetting to nurture the heart and soul of my child. He is metallic crisp but is he soothing and warm?

My Belief System in God/ Super Natural:

Today, the world is very well connected. Whether life other than on earth exists in universe or no, is a different question, but the whole human race is a global super power. Different communities, different religion, different belief system is being accepted and more-so-ever adapted. With yoga and meditation practice we have successfully inferred that there is immense energy and light within us to make the impossible possible. My belief system in God is becoming unanimous (had not been there dirty politics the process would have been faster). And so is inherited by this generation. I foresee that in future, my child will practice to perfect in utilizing this inner energy. De-generatioon of food quality and Air Quality will happen for sure, but Re-generation of belief system will surely happen. From my parents to myself, from myself to my child we are blossoming of course but not without concerns. The concerns needs immediate attention.. mind it!