The Road to Nowhere

Around this time, every year the news papers are full of reports about suicide attempts made by school children. The phenomenon generally lasts till the declaration of the Boards results in June. Are we going the way Japan was going a couple of years back when it had a steep rise in the number of suicide cases all attempted by school children.
With earch passing year, the pressures on children is growing and so is the number of suicide cases. The education system which is supposed to help the children become good and successful citizens is now becoming a mentor source of tension and stress to them. The pressure to perform well is growing constantly as competition increases with each passing day.
Often the pressure is not direct and the parents do not even realise that the child is under stress. Peer group competition, demands of good results by the teachers as well as parents, are same of the indirect stress causing agents. Even as the child begins to attend the Kindergarten, he is well aware of the expextations the parents have of him. Since that moment he is under the pressure of expectations of his parents even though they have not told him anything directly.
Are we racing towards holocaust, a civilization where the children have forgotten to smile and play, where they are just performing robots? Will their laughter stop singing through the house. Their smiles wiped out by the worried expressions and frowning brows? Is it worth the academic excellence that may or may not happen? Will the pressures really make him perform? If every child was expected to stand first in the class, who will be second?
If academics become so important, what will happen to art, literature, music and sports? If we are to have a generation of all doctors, engineers, scientists and computer experts, what will happen to the other professions?
Once we begin to ask these questions, we will realise how foolish we have been, pursuing the impossible, robbing our children of their childhood. Stealing their smiles and care free men, may be undermining their sense of confidence in the process. After all why should a child want to commit suicide when his entire life lies ahead, why should he want to end a beautiful life if everything is going right for him? It can only happen if he feels that he is incapable of performing to the level of his parents expectations.
A conversation with the parents of some children who have ended their lives, reveals that they never put any sort of direct pressure on their children and that hey were not even aware that their child was under any heavy tension. Yet the tension must have been there, enough to cause the tragedy. It may not have been evident of apparent enough to be noticed. There are thousands of children who are living a life programmed by their parents. In their bed for excellence, the parents unwillingly push their children to the brink.
A child should be nurtured with great love and understanding. He should never be made to feel, through either direct or indirect methods, that love and affection of the parents is dependent on his academic performance in any way. The love of parents should be totally unconditional comparison. Expectations should always be realistic. While going through the result card, the parents should be able to develop a habit of praising the child for the efforts made by him. Negative critcicis, and caustic remarks are bound to dampen the child's enthusiasm and word unfavourably. It is often difficult for the parents to accept the drawbacks in their children and almost impossible to tolerate failure but the vocal expression of the parents dissappointment could rob the child of this confidence and send the wrong signals.
Pushing the child into the rat race right from the tender age of four or five could be often work in a reverse manner by making jim lose interest in the pursuit of academics. It is time the parents and the society wake up and take heed before it is too late. Let there be laughter and music all around instead of the wails of parents whenever a child opts to end his precious life.

How to Unwind

The Age of stress is here to stay, but you have to be in touch with your cosmic reality. There are many ways to calm the mind-
1) Plan your day, introduce exercieses that take you out into nature like golf.
2) Improve your environment - it has an impact on your mood.
3) Chane your diet - eat a healthy meal.
4) While working on projects take breaks.
5) Go for a walk.
6) Do deep breathing exercises.
7) You have to develop alternate acitvities - learn to be with nature.
8) Learn time management skills.
9) Listen to music.