There is a message for all of us in this ancient story: childhood impressions/memories are strongest. Our goals, direction in life and values depend on these. It is in childhood that we decide what we want to become as an adult, how we will live and how we will spend our life. Scientists estimate that 90-95% of our perspective about the world is formed during childhood, only 5-10% develops during the rest of our life. Emotions absorbed through age 7 are carried throughout one’s adult life. Â The first 7 years of a person’s life is when the Muladhara/Root Chakra is active and being formed. If a child grows up in the atmosphere of love and harmony during this time, he will be convinced that his goal is love. He will be protected inwardly as he obtained a strong root chakra (Muladhara means «root of life» in Sanskrit). Psychologists observed that maniac people are those who did not receive enough love in their childhood. Instead of love that could feed the tree of life, their root as poisoned by hurt, fear, insecurity and self-doubt, as they did not have parents who protected them. Then they go out into the world full of revenge toward the world, punishing it for the lack of love, which they were unable to get in their childhood.
A very serious issue in Western «economically developed» countries, and mainly in the US, is child crime, which is shocking in its brutality. The killings of children by their own classmates is no longer a rare occurrence, unfortunately. In an October 2013 example of gun violence in school, a seventh-grader opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun and wounded two classmates, and killed his teacher in Nevada. Â As a result of the violence, in California, teachers now come to school with guns. They are taught target shooting so that they can protect children, by stopping a dangerous student with a bullet, instead of a word. It is important to think whether this will actually help children in respecting and developing a healthy fear of teachers. For us this information seems like an extreme savagery. A friend of mine, an American, told me that he grew up in Los Angeles where the sound of police sirens and screams for help are a mere normal background city noise, which no-one pays attention to. According to his opinion, even though Russia and Canada are still far from this, both countries watch American movies and thus the American culture and values are being adopted, and soon other countries will become similar to the US. This is something to ponder upon.
What is the source of childhood crime? One must look for the source in families, video games, and shows that kids watch on TV and online.
John Favors once said that every deed needs to be considered from the perspective of manifestation or lack of love. When a person is happy he wants to make other people, he shares love with them. If a person brings pain to others, we should see that deep inside he is miserable. And every evil deed is merely is a heart’s cry for help because of lack of love within.
Love is nurtured in the heart of a person from early childhood. The cause of both child and adult aggression and of all childhood troubles is due to the decay of morals and values in modern times: free and promiscuous sexual contacts. Submission to passion and lust is called adultery — an action against love. In all countries, cultures and nations the best are the children that are conceived in love, with mutual love and intention of have a child as a source of happiness in life. Nowadays, children are not a fruit of love, but rather an accident: a woman got «knocked» up. Many books about prenatal upbringing available today repeat the same postulate: the baby is acutely aware even in the womb whether it is loved and if its birth is awaited.
Many American movies depict the same problem over and over: the lead male character is not loved and appreciated by his children, who live separately from him. Of course, the hero saves the US and the whole world, and his children start loving him again. It appears that American movies reflect the dream of many American men: «What do I need to do so that my children will forget how difficult their life was/is without me?»
The degradation of morals, free sexual relations are common now and the story goes like this: «My first child if from my first husband, this child is from second marriage, and this one…» and so on. It is often that the new step-dad or step-mom do not favor their step-children as much as their own children. Children are very sensitive to this injustice when the step-brother or step-sister is favored more, so they close up, and plan to avenge in their future- to take revenge on the whole world.  Children understand a lot. They understand, for example, that this man took Mom away from my Dad, or that Dad left us…Who knows what children feel when they grew up without love?
Love is the foundation of all people. Love that surrounds and nurtures us from the childhood gives us a sense of security that lasts our whole life. We will always have this love supporting us all our life, rooted in our childhood — the love of Mom and Dad.
Chakra Vidya, the science of the system of our energy centers — explains that each chakra is activated for seven years, in the phase of its activity and formation. The second center/chakra — Swadhisthana — is activated and formed between  7 and 14 years of age. In Sanskrit, Swa- means one’s own, and Adhisthana means dwelling place or residence. Swadhisthana literally means «one’s own residence». It is a center of attachments which define our place and position in this world. During this period our worldview, attitudes, aspirations are formed, which will define the direction and flow of our life one way or another. Later it is very difficult to change this as from the age of 14, the Manipura is activated, and the child leaves the auric field of his mother and begins to act independently, based on the values he gained prior to this. After the age of 14, an adolescent needs to be treated as an equal. The reasonable application of will and knowledge helps us achieve prosperity in society. «Manipura’ translates to «a city of jewels», after which the period of «Anahata» begins, which is the «flower of love» center, related to emotions and harmony in relationships.
As a strong and solid foundation is needed for the upper levels of a house, a strong foundation built on morals, higher values and ideals for a child will allow him to utilize this in is his future life.
It is important to devote one’s full attention to children during the period of their personality development (until the age of 14). It is necessary to protect them from the media in the same way a tender sprout (shoot) is protected from the wind or animals are protected by a fence. When the child becomes strong and established, he will be able to withstand any type of attacks later in life. Yet, if in childhood or adolescence he was fractured emotionally, with a weak root, as an adult, it will be difficult to live in this world and to bear good, sweet fruit for society.
Today, the media is altering the psyche of children. Previously, people were rarely exposed to sad or negative news, and so their life was not affected much. Today we’re exposed to too much negativity, from all over the world, often there is a serious lack of any positive, or good news.
Psychologists say that when someone did something negative to you, he would need to do 15-16 acts of kindness or something nice towards you to alleviate the impact of that one bad act. So to neutralize one piece of negative news, we need to be exposed to 15-16 days of good and happy events.
Due to the media today (TV in particular), children are exposed to much more violence than our predecessors were exposed to during their entire life. Many movie directors and screen writers pervert their minds by aiming to impress and shock the consumer with unseen cruelty, brutality, vulgarity, betrayal, cynicism, and hypocrisy. All of this easily penetrates the subconscious of those who watch it.
Scientists found that in the awake state our brain emanates beta-waves, which are 12 to 25 amplitudes per second. This is a rhythm of active state of consciousness, where we think, act and make decisions.
Delta and Theta waves are 4-5 and 4-8 amplitudes per second respectively which is the subconscious state and when we transfer from the subconscious into the dream state. Alpha waves (6-14 fluctuations per second) are created while dreaming, in a hypnotic state, or when watching TV or playing computer games.
It is said that committing a crime for the first time is very difficult. Second time it is easier, and third is even easier still. Each time the voice of reason (connection with God) is reducing. When we watch scenes of violence on screen, we can act those out in real life with much ease. It won’t be the first crime committed, as it would be something that the person’s subconscious got accustomed to when they watched movies depicting violence.
This is applicable to computer games where each violent act is done multiple times. I once saw a computer game description where the goal of the game was to kill as many civilian pedestrians! Who knows how a person who played this game will start enacting out this scenario in real life, after practicing it for many hours. There are many other examples of violent games using various weapons. It seems that these games are like a part of a master plan to destroy everything humane and tender in children’s hearts, and instead planting the seeds of cynicism and cruelty in their young minds, ensuring that when they grow up they can become a part of a brutal and soulless system.
Psychologists note that 3 types of psychologies are formed under the informational influence: «human», «demonic», and «animal».
The animal psyche is when a person is acting only based only on instinct. A person can even kill if a woman refuses to have sex with him.
A human psyche signifies a person who is part of Nature, receiving happiness from healthy social relationships and willing to sacrifice one’s time and well-being for the sake of life and well-being of others.
The demonic psyche is the egoistic warrior who aims to achieve any goal no matter what, at the cost of violence and willpower. Â This demonic type of psyche is now promoted in all media eg. movies about robbers, killers who kill for the money. These movies are created by those who want to control the world without any concern for morals.
If you are thinking about the children and future, consider the results of 25 years of scientific research, published by the New Scientist. The findings say that TV promotes violence: those who watch TV at least 1 hour a day becomes more aggressive and cruel towards others at least five fold. This is applicable to children and adults both. Forty-five percent of adolescents who watched TV more than 3 hours a day are prone to violence, 20% of them become dangerous to society as they are more ready to commit an act of violence. Those who spent less than an hour a day in front of TV were the least aggressive group. Similarly, Western Journal of Medicine published findings that TV and movies that contain acts of violence are responsible for 15-20% of acts of violence in real life. The group most prone to the tele-aggression are children (under age 7), and adolescents (under age 14). It was also found that the average child sees around 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence on TV.
In Russia TV-viewers watch acts of violence, aggression or erotic scenes every 15 minutes. This averages out to a least 9 lively pictures a day.
To be able to raise healthy and innocent children, parents need to be aware of the images of the TV and computer games. Â Today many people are so attached to the TV and shows that they are living lives of others, when they could actually make their own life more interesting and fulfilled.
What can one do to protect the child from the disturbing influence of modern society, and help them grow in health, kindness and purity?
First and most important: devote as much time and attention to your children. When children are young, read books out loud and discuss them with your children. Create some family traditions. For example, in our family, every evening at 8.45 pm, our mother read books for my brother and I. This would create such a mystical and cozy atmosphere that even my father, instead of continuing to watch a soccer game, would turn off the TV and join us, listening to the stories. Then, in the most interesting moment, Mom would say her eyes were tired, and while she rested, my brother and I needed to take turns reading. While we knew that she was playing tricks on us, to be fair we knew we had to read too.
Spend time with children outside. No computer can ever replace camping with fire and active games outdoors.
Enchant your children with sports or dancing. If you can get involved in these activities even better! It is very inspiring for children and interesting for parents to get involved together. I know a family where the mother got a black belt in karate, only after she saw how much fun her kids were having and joined their group.
Cook with your children, especially on weekends and holidays. This creates a supportive and happy atmosphere in the family.
Parents teaching their children certain skills (eg. the mother teaching the daughters feminine arts and crafts and the father teaching the sons some skills like handiwork around the house) brings the family closer.
Teach your children to value and appreciate acts of kindness. Help them fall in love with nature, and be of service to others.
You are the most vivid and influential example to your children! Children mimic adult; they mimic both bad and honorable deeds. Kids will mirror you no matter what. So please adopt the behavior that you want your children to replay.
Teach your children to respect elders, including parents and grandparents. You can do this only if you are taking good care and treating respectfully your own elders. In the East, there is a rule which also existed in Russia: «Never argue with elders, even if they are wrong». Â Where the parents are respected there are strong families. If you do not respect your parents and are not taking care of them, your children are unlikely to take care of you in your old age.
Play good movies which highlight honorable deeds and are filled with love. Better watch these with your whole family, and then discuss then and make conclusions. It is recommended to watch maximum 2-3 movies a week. Better spend more time being devoted to each other and playing games.
Do a massage and embrace often. Even the most restless child can be pacified by caressing him or give him/her a massage. Any massage or gently stroking longer than 15 minutes creates a relaxing effect.
Reading good books, loving and kind conversations, and a massage before going to bed will create best moments effectively creating a family tradition!
Alexander Usanin
