The prime foundation of humanity--childhood. Our personalities, beliefs, instincts, habits, etc. are all rooted in our first experiences in this world. Many people might have the wildest fears due to an unfortunate encounter when they were six. Some find themselves stuck in a similar routine that was instilled into them. And still, some spend years undoing what had been drilled into their head from birth.
Just look around and you’ll see what an influence childhood exposure has on a person. So many of the world’s problems are rooted in traditionalism and simply following what you’ve been told to do without question. Note, this isn’t an attack on traditionalist ideas as a whole. They are perfectly okay as long as you take into account how you’re affecting others. Which, is really a rule of thumb for any belief set. Consider the consequences of devoutly following any movement, religion, traditions, etc. As long as you as a human acknowledge that you could be harming yourself or others and actively avoid doing so, there is no issue. What I just described takes a hell of a lot of thinking, compassion, awareness, and processing skills. Something that young children do not have.
While it is entirely possible to rope an adult into believing anything when they are in a vulnerable state--i.e. cults--childhood is eighteen years of vulnerability. More if you allot the extra six to eight years it takes for a human brain to fully develop. Teaching a child is teaching a person who is perpetually in a vulnerable state. That is why what a child absorbs is so critically important. Anything they hear or see they will soak it up like a walking sponge and it will affect their psyche. Really, anything you ever interact with or pick up affects you somehow, just less and less as you age. The elderly have a tendency to be so stubborn and unwavering because of the decades of life they have as a belief base. I myself have just over fifteen years. It makes perfect sense for me to question everything constantly because I haven’t established myself yet. And what I absorb and experience now will likely decide which hills I’ll be ready to die on in my seventies and eighties. This is especially true for young toddlers and infants, who have barely developed any sense of comprehension. Anything you tell them, they say--well, gargle--it right back and hold steadfast on it until challenged. While you have certain things that just come encoded into your being, a large majority of your personality and who you are is shaped by your reactions to your environment. And the environment that affects a person the most is the very first one.
While it is entirely possible to rope an adult into believing anything when they are in a vulnerable state--i.e. cults--childhood is eighteen years of vulnerability. More if you allot the extra six to eight years it takes for a human brain to fully develop. Teaching a child is teaching a person who is perpetually in a vulnerable state. That is why what a child absorbs is so critically important. Anything they hear or see they will soak it up like a walking sponge and it will affect their psyche. Really, anything you ever interact with or pick up affects you somehow, just less and less as you age. The elderly have a tendency to be so stubborn and unwavering because of the decades of life they have as a belief base. I myself have just over fifteen years. It makes perfect sense for me to question everything constantly because I haven’t established myself yet. And what I absorb and experience now will likely decide which hills I’ll be ready to die on in my seventies and eighties. This is especially true for young toddlers and infants, who have barely developed any sense of comprehension. Anything you tell them, they say--well, gargle--it right back and hold steadfast on it until challenged. While you have certain things that just come encoded into your being, a large majority of your personality and who you are is shaped by your reactions to your environment. And the environment that affects a person the most is the very first one.
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It has been a rough past few months and honestly, all my 2020 resolutions have gone down the drain. With it, so did my motivation to really do much of anything. It wasn't a depressive state per se, just a lack of will to put effort into anything that wasn't school. However, I still enjoyed doing the things that I saw as effortless. So really, maybe I've just been lazy.
What brought me back here was a school competition. Write-A-Book. Seeing it got my creative juices flowing and reminded me how great it felt to express myself creatively. It doesn't even need to be the elaborate metaphor I'm construing for my entry. Just sitting down and writing what's on my mind, my opinions, what I see in the world, etc. just makes me feel so...released. I've drafted and scheduled posts for the rest of the year, and even if I miss a few or don't put up my best quality, I'm happy to say that I'm ready to finish off 2020. Maybe not "strong," but I'm ready to move forward.
What brought me back here was a school competition. Write-A-Book. Seeing it got my creative juices flowing and reminded me how great it felt to express myself creatively. It doesn't even need to be the elaborate metaphor I'm construing for my entry. Just sitting down and writing what's on my mind, my opinions, what I see in the world, etc. just makes me feel so...released. I've drafted and scheduled posts for the rest of the year, and even if I miss a few or don't put up my best quality, I'm happy to say that I'm ready to finish off 2020. Maybe not "strong," but I'm ready to move forward.
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