One of my aunts is reasonably new to Facebook (she also has dementia, so I'm eagerly anticipating the day she forgets how to use it). She shared a story. That has me rolling my eyes so hard that they hurt.
Because the concept is something that makes someone an adult: you don't have to react to things the way people want you to.
When you do, you let other people control you with your emotions.
And the author of the piece? IS STILL SLOWLY LEARNING THIS.
And then it struck me: this is what's wrong with most of the country. I haven't seen anything but emotionally charged messes reported in the news; haven't heard anything other than emotionally charged arguments from politicians, scientists (and isn't there something wrong with that), or city civil servants. In fact, I'm not sure I have ever heard a logic- or facts-based argument out of anyone except a few classical liberals and leave-me-the-hell-alone libertarians.
Most people haven't learned to not let others control them by their emotions.
I learned it in elementary school. It made me, to be honest, damn-near bully-proof. The only things they could do to get a reaction were physical, and they never got the reaction they wanted from that, either.
I am TRYING to teach the concept to my kids, but I'm finding...it's difficult. But then again, they're ten (the imp--he won't be 11 until October), and eight (the pixie--her birthday's in December).
Adults should learn this long before leaving high school. And I haven't seen evidence of this happening. I'm still not sure why. So I don't have a solution.
Who the hell knows. Maybe we should be teaching people how to handle bullying, instead of coming down as hard on the bullies? Maybe we should start shooting education specialists that keep insisting that self-esteem comes before acquiring skills (instead of because of it), leading to really shallow pools of will and strength? Maybe we should just start shooting education specialists that suggest we should punish the kids that hit back when they're bullied. I don't know. I do not know.
5 minutes ago
When they are raised in a protective bubble, get participation trophies, and have never failed/dealt with the real world, they have NO coping mechanisms.
ReplyDeleteIt's why I let my kids fail from time to time. And I prop them up less as they get older and more capable. I still don't know if they'll ever learn the lesson that the opinions of others do not matter, and that others should not be allowed to make them react.
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