Laying the right and strong foundation

Lakshmi Kothaneth -
lakshmiobserver@gmail.com -

The arches stand firm but the ceiling and the roof have withered away with time. The arches supported by pillars stand tall till today to tell stories of yesteryears. The blue sky looked deep into the building shedding light and shadows on the wall and the ground which probably housed many generations until modernity found new means of architecture.
Houses do not last once the people move out. But it is interesting to think how before concrete made its entry, houses in Oman were an extension of earth itself. The fine mud and the peeping stones where the plastering has peeled off tell us more about the hands that built the structure.
Maybe additional rooms came later as the family expanded. The staircase leads to nowhere, but there might have been children who ran up the stairs. There might have been festive gatherings in these halls and quiet conversations and even thoughts that were never expressed.
It is interesting to find out who are the people who are really happy. The ones that express everything or the ones who keep silent holding onto their emotions, thoughts and words lest they hurt others’ feelings.
Words, as they say, have energy but probably more hurtful are the words that are never said.
It is said that if you have nothing good to say, then do not say anything at all. Yet, people express their opinions at times without knowing others’ situations.
When they express negative thoughts, they have flushed out their negativity but the recipient may not be strong enough to shrug off what they have heard and move on. It can break them.
Witnessed a teacher yelling at the student and complaining about him to his father on a high pitch. The big question was who broke whom? Broken forever is the child’s trust in his teacher, father’s opinion and faith in the teacher in protecting his child.
It might have a long-lasting impact on the child’s self-esteem because there were strangers who heard the loud monologue.
Yes, children need discipline and teachers are under stress. But childhood is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it means everything to the child.
Recently watched Les Brown’s video on growing bamboos where farmers prepare the ground for five years for the bamboo to grow and when it finally breaks through the ground within five weeks, it shoots up. Brown asked the question, “Did the bamboo grow in five years or did it grow in five weeks? Obviously five years.”
Each day a child is growing in thought as well as physical and mental strength. Yes, there are children who are suffering and thriving across the globe and we may never be able to reach out to them or maybe we can. But definitely we can make a difference to the lives of children around us because you never know what beautiful surprises they might hold for us when they are ready to leave their mark on earth.
We definitely want them to be humanitarians and earth-loving so let us not give them space to breed hatred and bitterness.
Children could be silently battling their worries trying to match up with, to fit in and be accepted and deal with comparisons, if not with classmates or friends, then with siblings. Let them know the value of challenges.
There is no one else they can learn all that from because children do not do what they are told but copy what their parents do. At least we can try to create some good memories for them to look back upon.
No matter how big and strong the house is, one day the ceiling and the roof might wither away but the generations would have to continue. They can, if the foundation remains strong.