The next generation

Wondering to myself how we can prepare our kids for this world... it's certainly not easy to do so. I mean, before we get to that, we have to first be ready for the world ourselves. Is it enough just to cram them with all that MOE has given to them in school and make sure they come up tops in everything? Well, for one, that's a start. How about everything else after that? Who's going teach them about the office politics which DOES happen, managing relationships with others well and yet still keeping oneself sane, have an open mind and hopeful heart? That, I believe, comes from their experiences with others most of the times. And if they stay cooped up at home doing their assessments day after day, night after night...with the TV as the main source of relaxation after some hard work, they are not going to learn anything from there. They will simply get a very wrong perception of how this world is like and believe in an illusion painted by the media. Sure, there is the parental influence and the definitely, without doubt, the good values passed down by their parents through modelling of good behaviors. While this is good, it does not paint a realistic picture of the world where not everyone truly desire the best for them from the bottom of their hearts. A world where actions may not necessarily comes genuinely from the heart. To me, exposure has to begin from young and understanding has to come from within so that decision-making is informed and not influenced by popular culture, coercion from other influential figures in our lives, pressure from stressors or simply because we just do not know what else to do.

I believe in the fall, pick ourselves up, fall and pick ourselves up again theory in teaching a child, if there is one :) I think what I really mean is that the next generation needs to be prepared for the challenges of the next generation and not now.