Nature's own limiters

Worried about mankind becoming too smart or too proficient in life? Well don't, because after reaching a certain level of civilisation and progress, nature's own limiters will kick in, for most of us anyway. These limiters are almost unavoidable, they are bonded so close to us that it is virtually impossible to ignore their influence. I am talking about parents, modern parents specifically.

Call me an ungrateful brat, but I totally believe that our own parents are limiting our potential. I don't blame them though, for they seem to do this unconciously, and all 'for our own good'. From our very first wobbly steps, our parents have been working hard to put limiters on us. After the initial euphoria of being able to stand upright, we are soon told not to run, for fear that we will fall. What then, is the use of our legs. If a kid worships his parents, he will very likely grow up to fear running about, so deeply is the sentiment ingrained. While it seems like common sense to protect a child from the pain of falling, it is no less unnatural. Mother birds don't run around all day forbidding their hatchlings not to fly, and the danger is even worse for the chicks should they fail, certain death. Besides, it is futile for the mother bird to try to prevent what natural instinct deigned them to do.

Another common limiting technique exhibited by parents is showing displeasure whenever a child tries to explore. When we were young parents would strongly discourage us from even stepping out of the safe confines our the house. Simply because it was 'unsafe'. Well, it will be if the parents just let them go about on their own, but most parents don't want the hassle, so they just use the easy excuse. And if the child insists on doing what his natural instinct tells him to do anyway, the parents will resort to scare tactics. Using scary animals to deranged psychos, and concocting elaborate urban legends and hearsay, a little child is cowed into line. This, I think is the most damaging of all. Parents fail to realise the influence their words can exert on a budding mind. Take myself for instance, my mum likes to 'invent' answers to my questions. Perhaps it's ignorance or perhaps it's sloth, most of the statements I have taken for fact are usually way off the mark. But for my own curiousity in finding out the truth in my early teens, I might still be believing in most of these untruths. Even today, I find that there are some views I hold that are clouded by what my mother ingrained. It is as if another lamp lights up in the labyrinth of my mind, whenever I debunk an implanted myth, to clear the darkness sown.

The displeasure shown isn't limited to the exploration by little kids. Even us teenagers are told to get real, should we even dare to dream of a non-conforming occupation. In the long run, it is going to be detrimental to our society. Other non-popular jobs might not be as glamourous, but they won't starve you if you are willing to work hard at it. Additionally, I don't think being just another face in a whole crowd of professionals is going to do you any good. By oversaturating a certain field with people, and consequently underdeveloping other fields, mankind will be made to suffer in the long run.The response is even worse when a youngster dares to strike out on his own, and forge his own career. It seems that our Eastern culture frowns on leaving the herd and establishing your own territory. At this stage, parents resort to emotional blackmail to reign in their wayward child.

Speaking of emotions, oriental parents seem to be the most willing proponents of pessimism, or as they like to put it, cautiousness. they are quick to pounce on a minor mistake and magnify it a thousand fold. For my parents, they go one step further, linking my bungle with every single perceived slight I've made. Luckily, I don't usually pay much heed to their psychological warfare, else I would be a quivering wreck wherever I go.

Everything I have written is based on what I experienced. While I do not claim to have first hand knowledge on whether my experiences ring true for my peers, hearing them speak and seeing how they think has convinced me that most of them have sadly been brainwashed. Unfortunately for this type of indoctrination, the more obedient you are, the worse you are likely to end up.