Well packaged, but rather delicate
CHANDRIKA R. KRISHNAN
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The watchword today is "Achieve". And for those who do not, well nobody has time for them anymore. Is this the future of our society? It is time to take stock and make amends before it gets too late.
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HANDLE WITH CARE: Everyone has to be a winner. PHOTO:C.V. SUBRAMANAYAM
Are we heading in the direction when our children will be packaged with the lines "Handle with care"? Are we on the verge of creating a generation of super brats? With a spate of suicide attempts, the nation is discussing the education system, stress levels, inhumane examinations and pitiless teachers and over demanding parents.
True the education system needs an overhaul but can we say that this generation is having a more difficult or stressful time than its predecessors?
We are in the midst of creating a "I, Me, Myself" generation. The new lot does not think beyond its own pert nose! Be it going on a shopping spree, hanging out at eating joints, spending cool bucks on cappuccinos or zooming past noisily in quiet residential areas. There was a time when children used to think about family economics, and knew where to draw the line between necessity and luxury. Now with cash in their hands, if they want it, they get it! There is a lack of compromise, which will affect their adult life too.
Most children from middle class homes are provided the best school, the best tuitions... the best of everything. Society blames the stress the children experience on the system. The suicides are blamed on either the teacher or the parents. The lack of morality is blamed on the media. The lack of achievement is blamed on friends. What, then, is the child's role in his own life? Maybe, this lack is reinforced by the power of instant gratification. We are raising go-getters rather than compassionate individuals. No one has any time for the under-achievers, slow performers, the shy, the old or the infirm. There is no time for grandparents, cousins, aunts or uncles, and in some cases parents too!
Parental fault?
Parents of this generation listened to their parents and now listen to their children! In order to break from the legacy of autocratic parents, they go overboard with their own, just so that they can be friends. The result in most cases is that parents cannot say "No".
Most of the time, the parents are unsure of the stand they should take. Today they are faced with the "psychological aspect of parenting". They are constantly afraid that their wrong handling could cause their children to become dysfunctional individuals. The media also targets them, stating that most suicides are caused by "over-demanding parents". The parents are flummoxed as to what constitutes positive stress and what is negative stress. The agony of parents is further compounded by the `one-child' norm and working parents carry the guilt of having to provide `quality time' with their kids.
Possible solutions
The negative stress can be combated to an extent if parents and children think of choosing careers from a wide spectrum instead of being bogged down by "me-too engineer" or "one among many dentists".
Everyone has to remember that success is a combination of many factors and earning big bucks is just one. If the children of today are brought up with scant respect for authority and human values, we can only expect a lop-sided society in the future.
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