I’m going to be blunt. I must be. Any lesser treatment of this subject would be a disservice to all that is good in the world.
Has Slavery Really Been Abolished?
We flatter ourselves that in modern times we have made such progress in matters of importance: the expansion of literacy, the eradication of many diseases, the explosion of technology and communication, the abolition of slavery.
I wonder if we should be so self-congratulatory. I speak of our children, mankind’s greatest source of hope and motivation. We bring them into the world with a promise of many things, but happiness greatest of all. How could we possibly offer less?
But then they inconvenience or disappoint us—inevitable with their inexperience—and we frown, or roll our eyes, or speak critical words with harsh tones. And they learn at a very young age to react immediately and powerfully to our praise and disappointment, thirsting for the one and diligently avoiding the other.
We Teach Our Children the Slavery of Reacting
But the issue is not praise or condemnation. The tragedy is that we teach them to react to us and to others, and to react to situations, rather than to experience the ultimate power and joy in life, which is to freely choose what they will think, how they will feel, and what they will say and do.
The moment they fall from the elevation of choice to the abyss of mindless reaction, they lose their birthright of happiness. They lose themselves. They lose their wings and crawl into the cages of pain, fear, and anger that often will enslave them for the rest of their lives.
It is mostly we as parents who fashion the chains and bars, and who drive these precious souls from the light into the darkness of captivity. Can we rightly be proud of any other accomplishment in our lives—or as a species—when we contribute in any way to this unspeakable degradation?
We must stop it. We must learn to love and teach our children, freeing them from slavery and creating the opportunities for them to become everything their gifts will allow.
Summary
On the whole, mankind has abolished slavery, and we are proud of this evidence of our personal and social enlightenment.
When we fear a child's disapproval, we can't be unconditionally loving.
As we love and teach our children, we free them from the emotional chains and bars that imprison nearly all of us. We give them a gift beyond price.
