The world is filled with evil, sinister and negative energy that has made the world a very unbearable place to learn. We could say the only way to heal the world is by positive actions. These positive actions include : honesty, gratitude, Love for one another, Compassion and so on. These positive values do not just sprout, and to be able to act on them is a process that has to be taught. The best way these positive actions could leave lasting impression in the world is to catch them young. Our children, the future, could heal the world if we can teach them these values. Not only do we teach them we also praise them whenever they exhibit these actions. A reward for something good is a sure way to make these actions be a part of this person’s attributes. However to say “the best way to teach is to praise positive actions and ignore negative actions’ is a statement too farfetched. Ignoring negative actions only undo the great reward a positive action does.
For instance, In a parent-child relationship, Parents are known to be the first teachers of their children. In today’s world where there is a shift to gentle parenting from the spare the rod, spoil the child phenomenon that had taken precedence before. it is a good thing that we are in era where we are able to communicate and teach our children using our words on how to go about deciding life’s hard choices. We are able to praise their good actions by buying a well-wished gift, a candy, or taking them to their favorite park. Some parents have sworn to never use harsh words or criticize their children to avoid their children feeling unworthy, less confident and unhappy. In other words, they tend to ignore their negative actions hoping the reward and praise for their good actions would somehow overshadow the obvious bad thing they have committed. This is where a dangerous case of coddling leads to children becoming narcissistic, overindulgent and almost sociopathic individuals who roam the surface of the earth. For example, a child who has always been a straight A student, studious, diligent now suddenly gets involved in a bully situation where this child is the cheerlead in bullying his fellow student is a negative action that should not be swept under the rugs. Will the best way to teach this child be ignoring this negative action knowing the implications of such act? I guess not. There should always be a balance on how we are able to impact our children to be better. Like the African adage goes “When an elder beats a child with the right hand, they use the left hand to console the child”
Also, when it comes to ourselves, we have been able to teach ourselves to stay positive at all times. This is a great outlook to life that can keep one motivated. We reward ourselves with words of affirmation. We proclaim ourselves kings and queens ready to rule our lives with grace and poise. Expecting only good, Ignoring the bad vibes and living life once. However, this state of mind could linger into the depths of toxic positivity. We are not able to acknowledge even the negativity within us. We do not accept our actions towards others has left a negative reverberation on them because we have thought our actions in a positive way. Sometimes, it is okay to understand we can be villians in people’s stories and redeem ourselves by looking within and finding out exactly how our actions must have affected this person.
In conclusion, It is okay and advantageous that we are able to teach ourselves and others by rewarding positive actions but we should understand that only doing this while ignoring the bad and negative does not only undo the good work of teaching, it also leaves consquences along the way.