Help children understand? Will someone help me understand please?
Sep 13 '01
The Bottom Line Let us make this world a better world for the sake of the younger generation. We can do it.
I think a better topic for review would be how to help each other understand, but then that is my opinion. The category wants me to write about helping children understand. And before anything else, my deepest sympathies to all of you in America and particularly those in affected areas.
I live very far away from the scene. In another corner of the globe and still it is so hard to understand. Those vivid images on the TV, how can I make any child understand even that?
It was night in India when people came to know about it. We have no one in immediate family living in New York or Washington (and a few friends that I know are safe), yet my father called me just to talk to me. Suddenly we are reminded very rudely that this is a very strange world and then when it comes to this all we do is try to hear the voice of our loved ones. After all that is what people with cell phones on those planes did. Trying to talk to their loved ones one more time, and then trying to report the emergencies. So simple are our needs, to live and to love and be loved too. No one tried to call their banker or broker, is it not a lesson for us while we still have chance? Can we teach this to our children? To love a bit more.
Then I have two young nephews. The younger one is small enough to sleep through all this at his usual bed time. But the older one was there with me on phone and asking in a very small voice 'what will happen now bua (Bua is aunt in Hindi)'. Remember this is when we are far far away from the scene. All I could tell him was not to worry. What happened is deplorable, should not have happened but then things will be good again. This too will pass, have to pass and no nothing is going to happen to him or anyone of us. Though I have a very strong faith in our future as humanity, I do stand shaken. I hope my faith will prevail. I hope I have not been telling white lies to my nephews and we as humanity are capable of pulling together. The first thing I did was to try and reassure.
And then I feel it is not a mechanical thing that can be explained in one shot. I feel it will require constant reassurance, by spending time and then accepting that they might still feel scared, what the hell I feel scared. If pentagon can be hit like this, at times it comes to my mind is it that we are at their mercy, am I alive because some idiot in some unconnected corner of the world didn't think of doing the same to my building.
Another question that has been coming from my kids was will there be another world war? I really don't know from where did they get the idea? Maybe from those so called Nostradamus prophecies? Where do they get to hear about it, I wonder. Their questions are grave, I wish I had answers, I only have reassurances to offer, which they seem to take really well. Such faith they show.
And the best thing we can do is to make an impact as ordinary citizens, for the sake of our kids, to voice ourselves as to what do we want. The guilty should be brought to the book no doubt about that but how is the big question. Not that I have answers or even a clue but at no cost I want my kids to see a big war. I don't want to hear their frightened voices. I have a feeling that we as adults are failing to provide them a safe world, a secure world. Let this global tragedy be a wake up call for all of us to be more involved with the planet we call earth and our home. Another important thing I thought can be to try and listen what a child is saying. And then to talk and soothe him or her. And please let us do this for each other too. Aren't we all confused?
The attack has been on the USA but I think the agony is global. Let us stand tall and united. But it always reminds me that Vietnam was bombed, so was Belgrade, so is Iraq. There too civilians die. We don't even mourn them. In this game of leadership we ordinary citizens are getting reduced to pawns. Somehow today I understand bombing is no solution to any problem. But then probably we don't know what else to do? The best thing in the long run will be to learn what to do and then to teach it to our children. In the short run, even if a few civilians can be spared in what might come, that will be a step forward.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
mridula
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Location: India
Reviews written: 121
Trusted by: 166 members
About Me:
So Little Time, So Many Places to Visit!
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.