The Diwali time is over and all children are again in school and will start preparing for their half-yearly exams soon. Of course Diwali is a great celebration especially for children who get excited about getting gifts, sweets and about the fireworks that I already told you about. What we saw again this year was that many children got toy pistols and guns as presents. They made noise when you fired them and although nothing came out from the front, children played shooting each other. When some of the children brought such pistols into the Ashram, we distracted them with another game and took the guns from them to throw them away because we are all of the opinion that children do not need to learn violent games.
Of course it is not the fault of children that they start playing this. Who gave it into their hands? Why do parents give their children guns and swords to play? They may say, they are not real, but a child learns that this is something to play, something good. They learn to play with violence and aggression. Another big factor is of course what they see in TV. There are constantly people who fight with each other and who shoot each other! Unfortunately these people are even displayed as heroes. They are glorified and presented in a way that makes children imitate them. No wonder they play shooting each other.
When I see this kind of thing, I sometimes get sad. How can you protect a child from such influence? A big step is of course to take good care about what your child watches on TV. Don’t let children watch action movies and violence, their minds are too soft for this! And even more important, show them how to play with each other in love. Board games, ball games, play outside, paint or write with them. Don’t ever let them play with weapons and explain them that weapons are not good, that they only can hurt. Don’t let violence become a normal part of their lives but show them the meaning of peace.
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Thank you Swami ji, I enjoy very much reading this wonderful article :DPeace and Love to All … 🙂
In the US I often hear an unconsciousness criticism of video games and tv, toy weapons and things like that. People that arn’t very aware of themselves are bashing these things. So reading this entry is the first time I understand what they were sensing about these things. I just didn’t listen before. I think your right Swami Ji. Great entry.
I love your diary entries Swami Ji. I really love them.
It is strange that people spread violence when they don’t want their children to be violent. But, I do also feel like we are living in a split time. I think it is absolutely one one the least violent times. But more than ever there is an awareness of not wanting or liking violence, and yet we are still animals so we still kill each other. and yet people aren’t sitting around the campfire with spears waiting to fend off tribes who would kill you just for existing outside their tribe. see in some ways we are less violent. in other ways… the violence now if jarring because it seems so unnecessary. Do you need to stab someone for not giving you their wallet? I think the answer to that is no. So there is violence that doesn’t stem from survival needs now, and that is what is so appalling.
My dad insists that if you put a group of little boys in a room filled with baby dolls and lipstick that will pretend the lipstick is a bullet and use the baby doll as a gun to shoot each other with. Similarly if you but a bunch of little girls in a room with toy guns they will cradle the guns like children and throw a tea party for them. He says boys are made for violence and girl are made for care, and there is nothing you can do to keep the violence out of males. I think he’s stretching it a bit. a lot actually. But I do wonder what our natural capacity for violence is. personally I believe it is something we develop, not something we are born with. we all have survival skills but, violence so often has nothing to do with survival. I think what you chose to do for survival is the nurture part, not the nature.