LET'S NOT TEACH OUR CHILDREN TO ASK WHO IS RIGHT AND WHO IS WRONG





















“No one cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care” 

― Theodore Roosevelt


What is happening in Syria is happening in Syria… We aren’t affected by it, you see. We have our own problems… Why add more worries to our own?
This is human tendency… You and I, generally, choose to look the other side when it comes to ‘others’ problems. I am no angel or saint. I, too, look the other side, so often, when I come across ‘others’ problems’…

A dear friend of mine has been showing her concern towards lakhs of little children affected by the brutal Syrian war. She has been sharing heart-wrenching images to make her friends, like me, feel a little more sensitive and empathetic towards these helpless children, who are caught in the crossfire of human greed and ego.

I don’t do what this friend of mine does about Syrian children… Yes, both of us live here, thousands of miles away from Syria… Both of us are ordinary citizens… We are aware of our limitations… “What can we do to change the situation in Syria?” Yes, this question comes to our mind. Yet, my friend has chosen to sensitize people like me. “If we can’t do anything at all, let’s, at least, ‘feel’ and pray for these children”… that’s her message, “Let’s not ask: “Why the problem started?” “When the problem started?” “Who is responsible?” “Who is right and who is wrong?”

To me, Syria – for that matter, any war-torn place like Vietnam, Cambodia, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, whichever place it may be - yes, to me, it’s just a metaphor. A war outside is just a manifestation of the war inside… It starts from human greed and ego. A war of one kind or the other is constantly being waged around us, inside us… We know its consequences: how dangerous, horrific and devastating they are. Yet!!!

To me, these innocent children of Syria and any other war-torn zone are reminders: It’s when we plant seeds of love and peace in little children, there is hope for this planet. When we plant bombs, we can only expect more bombs!

“Men build too many walls and not enough bridges,” said Joseph Fort Newton. You and I may not be able to solve the conflict in Syria… We may not be able to help her innocent people, particularly the children. But, we can certainly cultivate more empathy in our bosoms… We can certainly teach our children never ever to ask: ‘How is started?” “Why it started?” “Who is responsible?” “Who is right and who is wrong?” 

Our children need to be sensitized towards the futility of waging wars… of greed and ego. They need the education of heart.  As Theodore Roosevelt said, we need to teach them to be more caring rather than more ‘knowledgeable’…


Yes, we need to teach them to build more bridges and less walls!






GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.:Internet/News 18.com

Video: YouTube


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