Generalizing is certainly one of the most common mistakes a parent can make with a child. It must be really difficult for a child to bear the weight of statements like: "you're stupid, you're lazy, you're boring." Of course, our children sometimes behave in a seemingly very stupid way, other times they seem lazy, and other times they seem extremely boring to an adult mind. But if we really can't understand the deeper reason for their behavior, we should at least avoid generalizing. Using a specific situation to send them a negative self-image is a big mistake, one of the many steps we, as clumsy parents, can take to damage their innate self-esteem. It is essential to reprimand our children when they make mistakes, but it is equally necessary to do so in a way that allows them to understand the meaning of what happened, contextualizing it to the specific situation. For example, we might say: "Look, in this situation you behaved this way, but in these cases it's better to do so, because..." Don't give in to the easy temptation to quickly close matters. It takes time for a seed to grow.

"Seeing the world through another's eyes is a good way to avoid causing harm."

Dr. Enrico Gamba

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Gamba, Enrico. ONE: 365 - A teaching a day for an exceptional existence (p.216). Kindle Edition.

 

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What is rational? Rationality is based on principles. If the principles change, what was considered irrational can become rational and vice versa. The physics we study in school is based on laws that have relative value; once the speed of light is exceeded, the laws that govern the world we know no longer have value. So, what is more or less real? Everything becomes relative and is so in relation to the point of view from which it is observed. Plato had already clearly expressed this concept in the famous myth of the cave. If a person spends his entire life locked in a cave, observing dark spots moving on a wall, he will hardly be able to conceive even the idea that those are shadows of objects carried by real people, whose shadow is cast by a fire placed even further away. And that, even further away, there could be an exit from the cave with, finally, true reality. Denying the possibility of something a priori, simply because one doesn't understand its underlying principles, is a sign of obtuseness or fear.

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Dr Enrico Gamba

 

 

Gamba, Enrico. ONE: 365 - Un insegnamento al giorno per un'esistenza eccezionale (p.216). Edizione del Kindle.