Children are known to be self-centred and honest because that is how they learn about the world they will grow up in. They are naturally inclined towards protecting their own safety, needs and desires and often end up ‘triggering’ the adults around them by stirring their emotions around their own unmet needs as individuals.
When we as their carers and support systems teach them to ignore and dismiss their genuine feelings and emotions, we are relaying messages along the lines of, ‘Your feelings and needs are not important. You have to change to be accepted. You are not good enough until you acquiesce to those around you and suppress what you feel for the convenience of society.’
So, the good and well-behaved children learn to conform to the wishes of the adults around them to be accepted. We, on the other hand, condition ourselves to ‘unsee’ this to make it palatable for us.
So, why are we surprised to see this epidemic of emotional volatility where ‘vulnerable inner children’ are trapped in adult bodies and haven’t been taught to identify their own unmet needs nor been given the resources to manage and meet them?
The ‘mental health crisis’ we are facing in our times has been deliberately created over the last few generations where war, famine, poverty was met with capitalism and the innate ability to understand, connect and care for people as communities was rapidly eroded. We live together in the most disconnected way now, tuned in to devices and completely tuned out to our needs. The impact of our choices and behaviours and directions our lives are heading in, is evident in the chaos around and within us.
In order to address and rectify these deep-rooted issues, we have to reparent ourselves and then engage in parenting our children so they have an emotionally secure and safe environment where they can learn to connect with themselves and us, organically. We have to do away with routines that appease the capitalistic societies and develop deeper and real bonds between ourselves and our surroundings where the natural yet delicate balance is maintained to ensure the safety of this planet along with us.
Destroying our generations along with this beautiful planet we call home with lost, disconnected and emotionally insecure civilisations will only lead to complete destruction.
Let’s try to understand and look at the bigger picture and raise ourselves and our children as sensitive, intelligent and courageous thinkers and innovators who don’t blindly obey and follow to keep the peace but challenge policies and procedures that are designed to lead us to the brink of extermination.
