The first step to making the world a better place is raising better people
In Summary
• If we keep saying that the world is an ugly place it is because we made it so

As the toddler stage wheezes by me every single day, I see my son for who he is. A little human modelling his character and behaviour through his environment and exposure. The reality has made my stomach tie in knots. I feel week, fully grasping the gravity of my role as a parent.

I am responsible for bringing forth a decent human. A person who abides by the laws that govern humanity, written and unwritten. A person who knows how to have a good sense of judgement, and a decent human who is not only responsible for himself but for those around him as well.

The idea of raising a decent human made me introspect. Am I a decent enough human being? Do I have flaws? If I am a flawed human, how can I raise a good man? The pressure of teaching my child how to be a good person is the mirror that exposes my own flaws and limitations as a human. For whatever reason, our shortcomings are glaring us in the face in the way we raise our children. The little things we do not like about ourselves become unbearable when we see them through the actions of our little ones, who copy everything we do in the first few years of their lives.

I know I am flawed. I might not be able to fix myself completely for however long I still walk this earth, but I wish to make a better version of myself through my progenies. There is much to teach our children, from social norms, religions, cultural practices to humanity and basic human decency. Religions and most cultures come with a ‘guidebook’ that basically directs our way of living. Morality, however, needs to be instilled through the way of life.

I want to raise my son in a way that counterbalances all the wrongs I cannot stand to see. I want him to know that no means no. I want him to treat all women as he would treat the women of his family. I want him to stand up for the weak. I wish he would not hesitate to make the right choices.

People often say they want to make the world a better place. The question is, “How?” The answer is not that hard. Humans inhabit most of the earth. If we keep saying that the world is an ugly place it is because we made it so. The only way to make the world a better place is to have better people in it. The first step into making the world a better place is to make each generation better than the last. Change society through raising better children.

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