SAVE INNOCENCE

11 year old Stephan woke up in the wee hours and started his day by delivering news papers and milk on his bicycle going door to door in the city of Bangalore. He worked hard considering the situation his family was in and supported them with the measly wages that he earned. It was a time in the morning when other children would be soundly snoozing in their cosy bed. He used to render his services to our family as well. Stephan had to carry the burden of aiding his family by doing menial jobs. A job where he was not only answerable to the residents he approached every morning, but also his employer and family. The burden and the responsibility of his family had already set on his shoulders at a very young age so much so he couldn't remain a kid for long. While many children are pampered with long hours of sleep, good food and a tension free mind for the next day's survival; children like Stephan at an innocent young age are fed with thoughts of sacrifice and familial duties. Sadly these children are not only under pressure to grow up fast but their poor circumstances also make way to shed their innocence. It's not just the under privileged children, but we can see how children from different levels of the society are ridden off their innocence by the ignorant, less privileged or manipulative adults in their lives.

Children are Innocence Personified

I remember seeing a 14 year old boy who had volunteered to lend a helping hand at a community gathering. The volunteers team supervisor addressed the boy at the end of the day and asked him to work like a man and not a boy. It was sad that instead of asking the boy to show a little more enthusisam in his work, he was asked to grow up. The supervisor even let him know that boys of his age in the western countries had girlfriends. I was disappointed on listening to the supervisor who tried to rip off the innocence of this boy by encouraging thoughts that appealed more to the people of the western countries and the non acceptance for the fact that he was still a child. Many adults being a part of the erudite lot fail to see the world from a child's perspective. A lot of us want these children to step into the adults world prematurely, which is very sad.

As children most of us have imitated our parents, teachers or other elders in the society during our play time. Children fancy wearing their parents clothes, shoes, cosmetics and perfume. They tend to imitate the adults in every way possible. They listen to what we listen and even watch the programs and movies that we do. I remember the time when I was having a conversation with a prospective groom for marriage. As we conversed about the various aspects of life and the world, he let me know that how in his world children watch porn movies at home. I was shell shocked when I learnt this and wondered how perverted his world was. By God's grace I didn't get hooked to him. In today's world why take the trouble to access the internet to watch porn, a click on the television remote control will easily take children into the dirty adults world. Movies, news, comedy, reality shows and the like, all seem to be X rated. I wonder what takes a movie to be branded as an Adult Movie!?! Adults are so engrossed into accessing different kinds of mass media in children's presence that they forget about the kind of thoughts that invade the child's mind.

If not access the internet and the mass media a lot of the adults spend time gibber jabbering. So much so to an extent that children don't have to eves drop, but some adults mindlessly talk about all that would ruin a child's innocence and demoralise them. I was surprised to know how an 8 year old spoke of a lady who had not yet planned her pregnancy and hence still had no kids. For the jabbering not enough, adults from across the different sectors of the society to gratify themselves sexually, indulge in sexual acts with children. That leaves a physical and emotional scar on the young minds that lasts through out their life. The mass media keeps us updated on a regular basis of children getting raped and molested when they are out of home; but not many know that such events occur in the close vicinity of the house that the children live in. What a barbaric way to shatter a child's life.

The Holy Bible says, Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." As per my knowledge, the quote doesn't refer to children literally, but the innocence of a child in any human being can lead them to 'The Kingdom of Heaven'. It's a sad state of the world where adults have lost the needed innocence in them and at the same time rip children off theirs; hence the chaos everywhere. It's an everyday revelation through the mass media of the atrocities meted on these young ones; forced into prostitution, porn movies, slavery, manual labor, and the like. With innocence being stolen away, I wonder who cares to think of stepping into the kingdom of God, when people have already created hell for themselves physically and mentally! Blessed are those children and adults whose quality of being innocent is intact in them and are on the path to heaven.

There was a time in the past when children were children. All they knew was to study, play, eat and sleep. But children of the present world are way too advanced. One of the main reasons being, their up bringing. In every strata of the society children encounter situations that steal their innocence away. No one can safe guard them from every other situation. However measures can be taken, starting from Home by the parents to educate their children from the right and wrong; and most of all become a role model to them by doing, speaking, and listening to all that is right. Educational Institutions also play an important role in molding a child's personality. While educating children about the right and the wrong in the society, they can also involve parents during occasions such as the parents teachers meeting by arranging talks from the child specialists, psychologists, doctors, and the like who can guide them into the right upbringing of the child. People who are concerned about the well being of the children of the under privileged can individually go out and Serve the Society, lend a helping hand to poor children by sponsoring food, clothes, education and all that will mold them into a confident citizen of the nation. They can also become a part of Non Governmental Organisations (NGO's) that cater to these children's needs.

I am sure no parent wants to see his child as a drug addict, prostitute, criminal or an adult movie star. Children are the face of tomorrow's world. It is in our hands to mold these young minds into stronger, enthusistic, creative, confident, courageous and happy individuals. Let us kindle the light of a better tomorrow in these young ones. Our ecology is already at risk. We need to save water, electricity, animals, stop polluting air, and many more alike. But I make an appeal to you to also SAVE INNOCENCE in our children. I believe, by doing so a lot of our problems in the world will be eased.