Most people I know would agree that children are the future of our species and planet. Most of them would also say that it all starts with a proper education. It's true - we have to teach them to be good stewards of the planet and to continue to advance the Human species, but there is something much more important than teaching them math and science.
We have to stop producing fucked up kids.
Too often, there is a cycle of violence in families. Your parents spanked (hit) you to gain your obedience as a child, and your grandparents did the same. And so, you hit your children to illicit the same compliance. It's easy to understand why - this is all you've ever known. And clearly, it worked out okay for you. But did it really? If you are using physical force to make your kids behave, maybe your thought patterns need some adjustment.
Think about what it teaches a child when you operate under this paradigm. They internalize the idea that violence is an acceptable means to resolve basic disputes. They also learn that there are two classes of people: Those who are "allowed" to use violence against others, and those who are forbidden to defend themselves against this compliance-seeking force.
Given this, is it any wonder that most people don't think twice about such problems as police brutality? Or the demonstrable fact that the political class does not operate under the same set of rules as the little people? The whole of American society is currently based around using physical force against those who will not comply with what a few corrupt people in suits have scribbled on paper. This force is applied even when the "criminal" has caused no actual harm to a victim. To a healthy and rational Human being, this is a morally repugnant way to organize societies.
You might say that children will be forced into this paradigm anyway when they grow up, and for now, you would be right. But people do not internalize ideas in nearly as permanent a way when they are adults. What children experience during their most formative years becomes the bedrock of their worldview. And while it can be unlearned (this author being an example), it takes a great deal more work and pain to shift how you see the world once you are an adult. Too many people are not even capable of questioning the core beliefs they have always held. And when they have learned the rule-by-force paradigm, the wheel continues to turn without so much as a second look.
The time to build a better future and break the cycle of violence starts right here, right now, with you. If you want to learn more about Peaceful Parenting, here's a good place to start: http://www.peacefulparent.com/the-peaceful-parenting-philosophy/
"Children must be taught how to think, not what to think." -Margaret Mead
"Children are not things to be molded, but people to be unfolded." -Jess Lair
"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." -Frederick Douglass
"Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see." -John F. Kennedy
