Question: From early childhood, questions like “Who is the best?” start to catch our attention. There are many TV shows where an adult celebrity talks with a young three- year-old child who must show how smart he is, how well he plays, or how nicely he speaks. The children sing and the parents standing behind the scenes welling up in tears.

They subscribe to the philosophy of competing and winning makes life complete, vibrant, and meaningful; it starts at a young age. What are your thoughts about it?

Answer: I’m strongly against it. After all, nothing can ensure our happy future except the right attitude toward connection between us. If  only these contests were conducted in order to show how getting closer to each other elevates people, makes them better and purer, and how much happiness it brings!

Whatever you may say, there were some good character-building examples in the Soviet Union. It is good to cultivate mutual help, connection, and support in people. This is where we need to direct a child constantly, even though it is completely against man’s ego, against our nature.

Although there were still gangs, rapists, murderers, and so on, all the same, in propagating the virtues of kindness, mutual assistance, love, and selflessness, in this regard, Russia was in some ways ahead of the entire planet.

Comment: However, I must say that the lives of these young talents who sing like Robertino Loretti, who were leading the pack at a young age, had very hard fates, not only in the Soviet Union, but across the world.

My Response: Well, they were promised so much! What they imagined their future to be! They are just children, they don’t understand how this all may come to an end and what it will be like afterward. When their voices disappear and they’re no longer popular, the audience no longer worships them as some kind of idol, that’s it!

Comment: Only a few have more or less a good fate. The rest of these young talents end up being consumed in this fire.

My Response: Indeed. And what’s worse, you end up boosting the child’s ego. It is not about whether or not he can be successful later in life with his talent. The problem is that he no longer receives the response from others that he used to receive.

He was developed to the point of believing that he will be receiving millions of times more each and every time. Suddenly it all starts to subside and the poor kid doesn’t know where to turn to or what to do.

Comment: I’d love to convey all of this to those parents who put their kids up on these stages with such joy.

My Response: It’s all great if you don’t know the tragedy awaiting each of these children once their talent is left without due response, without applause, once he or she is no longer popular.

Question: What conclusions can we draw from all of this? That these shows should be replaced by a different kind?

Answer: Of course. Transform them into being about giving to others. Only in bestowal can we find higher and higher states, when one demands more and more of himself without any possible return.

Comment: That would be amazing!

My Response: It is possible to show that. We can develop it further. We can promote it. What one would take out of it is less important. At least these examples will stay. Then one would not be left with nothing.

Question: So you support such a cinematic illusion to go on?

Answer: Yes, of course.

Comment: But now there is “reality television.” About life and truth!

My Response: It is egoistic truth. It is still a lie. It is finite. It leads to tragedies. But not here. You are shown the truth, and with your nature you begin to understand that you can’t quite implement this truth. What you are seeing are ideals. And these ideals are necessary.

Comment: So you’re against showing the ugly side of truth, of letting the garbage out under the banner of “reality TV”?

My Response: No. This would never aim a person in the right direction. After all, a person is an egoist. On the contrary, we must play with him the way we do with our kids.

Question: So that he grows through playing with these idealistic, beautiful examples?

Answer: Yes. This is just like a game with a child, how to make adults out of the whole of humanity! All humanity are children! So why wouldn’t you act with them the way you do with your own kids?
[278004]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 1/7/21

Related Material:
Eight Principles Of Successful Parents
Why Are We Given Unique Talents?
A Person’s Purpose

Filed under: Children, Education, News | Add Comment →