āHope, you must have hope,ā says I to my children. Yet, as I attempt to foster resilience and understanding in my boys as a bulwark against the way life can disappoint, I am struck by the paradox we all face. How do we square the circle of a world in turmoil with a positive outlook for both the present and the future? How can we look at events around us and keep a sense of serenity in our lives? It is becoming harder to do. Sometimes, I feel I am at best putting a brave face on and at worst lying to myself. Yet, there is so much to love and live for.
Santa Claus Syndrome
The options available to us as parents consist of either tactfully avoiding certain subjects or sugar-coating them in some respect so that the full truth is hidden. I call this the Father Christmas fallacy. We tell children a world exists when in fact it is a fairytale. We try to instill in them a morality and worldview that is based upon what we would like, not what actually is. Eventually, they will find out the truth. That the world is indeed full of socially-constructed division, politically-chosen poverty, and wars that serve the financial interests of some to the deadly detriment of others. That Christmas world does not exist, and young people have no choice but to learn about it. No wonder then that adolescence is a time and half for those growing up.
Look, over there!
Sure, there are sophisticated ways that the truth is hidden. The whole capitalist system is geared towards diversion. Products exist for every conceivable interest and others made to create interest where there was none before. The system rewards those who can convince others to become interested in such diversion. The monetisation of the internet has turned it in to a hungry beast, devouring the attention and finances of the multitudes. A young person stands little chance of resisting such a powerful monster. A parent who tries is swimming against the tide in their attempts to protect their child from being devoured. However, the world around us shows the truth. The climate issue is apparent. The impact of poverty evident. The cruelty meted out by some groups to others is, at times, unavoidable. Diversion can then become a way of wilfully avoiding that truth.
An opportunity withheld
The use of Artificial Intelligence now shapes the content we see in such a way as to hide even documented facts. Take Chinaās new DeepSeek AI model. Ask it a question and if the ruling party does not want that information to be shared then it will deny that once evidence-based truth. Just try typing in what happened in Tiananmen Square. The ever-obedient oligarchs will acquiesce, anything for market share. Just look at Zuckerbergās Metaās behaviour in Opinion in The Tell-All Book That Facebook Doesnāt Want You to Read – The New York Times What does this do? It allows for half-truths and conspiracies to flourish, further muddying the waters for an individual who may simply want to know what happened in the world at a particular time.
It is just the beginning of the technological age, and things will never be the same again. Competing interests now have at their disposal a tool that is more powerful than the human mind in many ways. What chance do children stand in the face of such power. The buying of OpenAI by Musk and his band of control freaks would further erode our freedom. The crumbling into dust of the promise the internet once held is as predictable as the text in an AI-generated novel. These are powerful actors and a more civil society is struggling to fend off their excesses.
You are you, not we are we
The individuation we see, whereby a person can rely on nothing other than the small computer in their pocket creates a world with reduced need for social contact. Yes, we can join communities on the web but there is less of what humans have always relied on: in-person contact. This is changing the world in ways we are yet to fully witness. It certainly makes it harder for groups to form and act out their wishes in a way that is not in some way controlled by those who control how we interact. We have seen the internet turned off in countries where protest against governments have taken place.
Every email and message can be screened and searched. The personal can be made public, the intimate investigated, and the secret impossible to hide. What a world we live in. We who lived without smartphones have the privilege of having made mistakes and lived lives hidden from the state and private finance entities. Children now and in the future are at risk of having very little personal life at all.
Out and about
Meanwhile, the birds still sing, the crescent moon shines, leaves swirl in the wind, and the wonders of the world continue to delight. The magical reality of the world around can be a counterbalance to the distorted reality created by men. However, we cannot look at the natural world as some benign, benevolent entity. Survival is paramount. However, a kind of harmony can be created so that an abundance of life can exist together. We have much to learn from nature. Children can learn about the natural world and the relationships within it which in turn can foster understanding of and desire to protect it.
Fortunately, childrenās natural affinity with nature and animals ā powered by exposure ā is such that I believe they will seek to protect that world as naturally as they seek to do now. I witness that time and again in my working life. I donāt doubt that many of the young of today will grow up to be the defenders of tomorrow. It is within the political and societal spheres that I have the most fear for them. The odds are heavily stacked against them.
Not as green as they are cabbage-looking
The crying shame is that instead of raising my children to ātake life as it comesā I feel I am in some ways actively preparing them for a battle. That there are conflicts ahead for them that they can either ignore or stand against. It is a fine line to walk. Providing space for them to enjoy their innocence and wonder while ensuring they are not naive to what is going on around them. The older they get the more important it becomes. Indeed, it is they who now pose the questions I must give an honest but not always palatable answer to.
As they approach adolescence and their involvement in a world created by capitalism will increase, I wonder how they will navigate the cesspits of social media, the online exposure to what is happening around the globe, and the capitalist obsession with monetising their every move. Why do I have to think of them as a bulwark against the greed and excess of the rich and powerful when they have so much other stuff to deal with. Just the usual stuff of who likes who and who said what is enough at that age.
Every generation of parents worry for the future of their children, that worry is as old as the hills I will walk this weekend. However, there has never been a time such as this. We live in a world where children are exposed to the worst of human behaviour through the internet and the voices of those propagating division and hatred are louder in their ear than ever before. We as adults need to forego the fretting and act now to offset some of the negative impact this can have. Itās time to step up and stand for what is right. Iām in, are you?
More in society.
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