How do our children inherit a world which is S.A.F.E. (Substance Abuse Free Environment)?

“Blessed are those who are meek, for they shall inherit the earth” – Mathew 5:5

Our children will surely inherit the earth. What kind of earth are they inheriting, though??Are they truly ready for it?

My daughter keeps reminding me, “your generation ruined the world!”.

Our generation was privileged. We inherited a relatively peaceful world to live in (other than minor skirmishes here and there). No World Wars. Not many colonists still around to struggle for freedom from. The world and its riches were becoming more accessible to everyone regardless of privileges of birth. Communication and ideas flowed freely. Mobility became almost a fundamental right. We were living longer and healthier. Etc. Etc.

And what did we do with all that? We made self-preservation, wealth creation and pleasure seeking the core of our lives. Collective consciousness, nation building, social causes, building up the disadvantaged and underprivileged neighbors, civic engagement and responsibilities, even bringing up children – were conveniently outsourced – to the governments, politicians, religious institutions, NGOs, Schools, local bodies…

We are paying the price for it now. Watching in horror as one institution after another, global and local, crumbles and fails to stand up to its stated goals of safeguarding our common interests. Preying on the very entities they are supposed to serve and protect.

We wring our hands, as screens of different sizes – 6”, 14” and 50” and Imax – invade our collective consciousness and flood us with their tsunami of aggression, hypocrisy, bigotry, fantasy, worship at the altars of false and fleeting Gods…

What are our children to do in this situation? When they are also faced with the hulking danger of greedy grown-ups who will leave no stone unturned to make sure unsuspecting children gain access to and get addicted to substances, fully aware how these substances adversely affect the physical, emotional, and mental health of the users.

Some grown-ups, who still seem to have conscience and responsibility, seem to be trying to deal with this menace somehow. To paraphrase Article 33 of UNCRC, “States Parties” shall make sure that children don’t become either users or dealers in harmful substances”.

However, in a world where these same “State Parties” are struggling to provide even basic necessities like universal health care, quality education, minimum nutrition, gender parity and security, all the while pursuing wasteful vanity projects, self-projection and conflicts, it may be too late if we solely depend on them to invest their time and attention to this issue also to make a real impact.

So, what can we all do? We possibly have one chance. No, not to fight the perpetrators – that train has left the station. Neither are we superheroes of the MCU universe in real life to turn back time.

I came across this definition of 'meek' - 'Meekness' is a humble attitude that expresses itself in the patient endurance of offenses. It implies mercy and self-restraint. Meekness is not weakness. But the difference between a meek person and a weak person is this: a weak person can't do anything. A meek person, on the other hand, can do something but chooses not to” (Ref at the end)

Yes. We can all turn to our children. Help them to be “meek” when tempted, triggered or taunted.

We can help them to understand that aggression, rabid nationalism, religious and racial bigotry, indoctrination of ideologies right from school age, hating their own friends for the clothes they wear, even the despair of joblessness are part of the broad cynical plan to rob them of their ability to think for themselves and ask relevant questions to the adults – because keeping them in the constant stage of agitation and despair is safe and profitable – politically and economically - to too many powerful people.

We can help them to realize that they can and are capable of thinking for themselves and shaping their own destinies. They don’t have to necessarily follow the political or social paths of their grown-ups. They are much more networked and communicative and influential as individuals and as a community than their earlier generations ever were. (We can see that from the immense power wielded by various social media influencers even now)

Can this power be harnessed to gain independence from the forces that are trying to corral our youth for pure commercial and marketing gains? Can we help them to gel into a global force that transcends the narrow mindsets of those with obvious axes to grind and set forth a movement that dams and turns this tide of self-destruction? Can we help them to realize that they have far more power within them to deal with the world than the release or escape that any external substance can ever give them?

They will surely have far more ideas to do this than we grown-ups with our tired minds and brains and bones can ever dream of.

However, we adults can still be useful in other ways. Be there. Let them know they are ok and loved, no matter what. That we got their backs. That our yardsticks of success and failure need not necessarily apply to them, and we are fine with it. That we accept their world is different (though we may never be able to understand them!). That we are willing to step out of our outmoded notions and are willing to look at life, especially their lives, as what they are, what they can be and not as what we think they should be.

I don’t know if we will ever get Lord Vishnu’s Kalki avatar on time to deal with this mess. Nor do we know if the Christ’s Second Coming is going to happen soon enough.

Even without these interventions, our children have the power within them – individually and collectively to change and build a more positive future.

They can find effective defences to the allure of substances, addictions, bigotry, manipulations, narrowmindedness, divisions and despair that are being peddled by those who wield their ill-gotten powers.

To start with, they can invoke their power with the magic word – VENDA! (No!) to all these.

Project VENDA of the Fourth Wave Foundation is helping them to do precisely this. Touched the lives of ~300,000 children in and around Ernakulam, engaged thousands in alternate life pursuits (including more than 2000 children in the annual VENDA Cup football tournament!), sensitized 15,000 teachers and counsellors and supported 10,000 parents, all in the past 5 years.

And we are just getting started. The program has been approved for rolling out to 6 more districts in Kerala. Still mere drops in the ocean, but gaining momentum, nevertheless. ?

When their wares have no more takers, the traders of death will hopefully be forced to shut shop and wither away.

________________________________________________________________________

Raja Shanmugam is a former IT Industry executive, currently serving his local community through pastoral counselling and through facilitated sessions for youth, student counsellors and parents. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Fourth Wave Foundation.

(Ref Source for “Meek” definition : https://www.christianity.com/jesus/life-of-jesus/teaching-and-messages/who-are-the-meek.html )