Inscribing moral values in children

A new academic year solemnly starts. Education has played a pivotal role in the total development of our country. Though India has excelled in the field of education, criminal tendencies and antisocial activities have also increased in unprecedented proportions. It is deplorable that we have lost our moral values beyond measure. Instead of instilling moral values in children, are our families, teachers and spiritual centers not bracing them up for unhealthy competition? The kids are tutored only to be successful. When failures happen, they are scolded immensely, leading to incurable emotional wounds in their little minds. All these make our tiny tots plunge headlong in to the bottomless pool of despair. We opportunely ignore the maxim, "Failure is the stepping stone to success".When failures happen, rather than taunting them, they should be comforted and encouraged to do better in the ensuing examinations. The Bible tells, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he grows old, he will not depart from it".

There is a noteworthy narrative in the novel, 'The Alchemist' written by Paulo Coelho, the famous Brazilian author. A merchant sends his son to a sage to learn the secret to happiness. After traversing for forty days, the boy arrived at the luxurious palace of the sage, atop a hillock. He had to wait for two hours before seeing the polymath. 'Do you want to know the secret to happiness?' asked the sage. "I am too busy to explain it right now. Go round the mansion to see the myriads of things there and come to me after two hours. While you saunter around the castle, make sure that the oil is not lost", the old man said, after handing over a spoon with two drops of oil over to the boy. The boy strolled around the manor for two hours, but all his attention was on the spoon. After two hours, he presented himself before the wise man. "Did you not see everything?" the old man asked. "I could not watch everything clearly", he told the truth. "Never mind, go around and relish the beauty of this edifice anew", the old squire said. The boy felt elated. He set out to enjoy the elegance of the manor in a new way, holding the spoon containing two drops of oil. He admired the murals and frescoes on the ceiling, luxuriant gardens, captivating landscapes and panorama of the mountain ranges beyond all measure. Again, he appeared before the sagacious man and made an account of what he had seen. "What happened to the two drops of oil?" the mentor asked. Only then did the boy realize that the spoon had been empty. "The secret of happiness lies in looking at all the marvels of the world without forgetting the drops of oil in the spoon" the old man spoke very prudently; here the 'oil' stands for moral values while the 'spoon' for life.

If we lose moral values, our family bond will break up, society will disintegrate and people will become misanthropists. It is high time to wake up from our lethargy. Let us brace up ourselves to spread the light of love and morality. Parents, teachers and elders should continue to instil moral values in children. Let our children grow up in love, virtues and good expectations. Instead of taxing our children to outshine in studies, let us make every effort possible, by relying on Almighty God, in order to cultivate comity and empathy in our children. The cultivation of values will indeed help them stay on the track in becoming virtuous human beings and ideal citizens.

This year, may our children have terrific teachers, fabulous friends and a super school year in every way possible! May God bless all of you!