It takes a whole village to raise a child

Aristotle, in his book, 'Politics' wrote that, "Man is by nature a social animal." And since then, we have grown up learning and listening that we humans are social beings. Gone are those days, when human beings used to stay isolated from each other, confined within imaginary walls. Time has changed, people have changed, and so have their needs. In one way or the other, humans depend to a great extent on society. This dependence, makes us, social beings.

We, in our families often hear our elders saying that 'Zamaana bahot kharab hai' that 'the world is bad'. They often compare the old days with the contemporary times, old people with this generation and conclude that people of their times, were kinder, more reliable and trustworthy. They advice their kids or grandchildren not to spend much time outside or get much friendly with others. But why so? Who is responsible for the change in human behaviour? Can people sustain without each others' help and support? Can children grow holistically when restricted within walls?

It is natural for someone to be protective and caring towards their children. Protection from worldly dangers are necessary but isolation by building walls won't help. One should realise that NO FAMILY IS AN ISLAND. The way an island stands alone in a vast water body, same is not possible for men. Humans do not thrive when separated from each other. For all big and small things, dependence over one another exists. Life is a lot easier when you are a part of network of friends and family, a community. Parents can raise a child on their own, but child's holistic development is assured only when he steps out of his house, spends time with his friends and get to know the world.

Men become mean when they grow, they discriminate among people, on the basis of caste, colour or religion. But children are innocent souls. Their pure hearts don't know how and why to discriminate between other children. Kids are taught the feelings of love and affection. And when they grow up they are unlikely to segregate people. This shows how important good environment is for the children. When children are provided with good ambience, they tend to develop humane qualities and HIGH MORAL VALUES.

CHILD IS A FREE BIRD. The way a young bird opens up its wings and fly high in the sky, the same way, a small child grows when he gets complete opportunity to explore the beautiful world. When a small child is not given enough exposure, he is more likely to become introvert and shy. Chances are high that when he grows up, he won't participate in extra curricular activities in the schools and won't mix up with people as well. Hence, for a child to gain confidence in himself and develop hid personality, village/society plays a significant role.

CHILDREN ARE BORN BELIEVERS . They believe what they see. If they see goodness and kindness around, people selflessly helping each other, lifting each other up, respecting others, chances are sky high for the kids to learn the same. Education and learning of children are not confined only upto school and home, it is also the responsibility of the society to impart life lessons in the children. Hence, instead of pointing out mistakes in others, a person should try and make himself a good neighbour. Then only a good neighbourhood will be build up for his kids.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO CARE FOR YOUR CHILD. It is natural for the parents to love their children, but it is important for them to start caring for others' children as well, to start treating other children as their own. Because when they show affection towards other kids then only they can expect someone to love their kids too. It is the responsibility of the elders to look after the safety and security of the small children playing in the gardens and parks. Another important benefit of this activity is that it develops healthier and stronger relationships and friendships among neighbours.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO TELL YOUR CHILD WHAT IS BAD. A child's brain is as clean as a board. Whatever the child observes, he tends to learn it and adopt it. Hence, the role of society becomes prominent here. It is the duty of people to tell children, when they are growing up, of what is good and what is not. What should be adopted as a habit and what should be avoided. In the current scenario, we have numerous ills present in the society. If the society does not educate the children, then who will? No one is immune from life altering bad choices. It is essential for the people to establish communication with children and tell them of the activities that can cause potential dangers to their lives.

Society and its people have numerous positive impacts on children but the negative effects cannot be overlooked. Children when they move towards teenage they are likely to get attracted by the things that are said to be "in fashion" like eve teasing, drinking smoking pornography. Here comes the role of the parents to keep an eye on the friend circle the kids have, to talk with them, and try and become their best friends. This way, children transform to become good humans.

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP. Everything is not that bright for children. Some children face ugly treatment from the society. These kids are discriminated mostly because they are either specially abled or come from a lower caste. Most of the times, they are not given healthy environment to play, explore and enjoy. Because of this, they fail to completely develop their personalities. Hence, it is the duty of community leaders to become role models and try their best to restrict such activities. Discrimination of any kind among kids should be avoided. If we dream of a helping and non discriminatory society, we should ourselves work towards it.

BUILDING A VILLAGE WORTHY OF OUR CHILDREN. With the advent of globalization and socialization, the world itself has contracted to become a global village. What happens in one part of the world has a huge impact on the other part. In this era, neither humans can stay isolated in walls nor their children. Thus, the focus of every human should be to develop an ambience which will only be beneficial to the younger generation. Where elders are always there with them like a torch to show them the right path. It is the responsibility of every individual to make the society a better place because TODAY'S CHILDREN ARE TOMORROW'S FUTURE.