As a kid, did my parents or elders around me teach me to respect women? Is there a written procedure to follow? A mutually agreeable protocol? I guess not. Parents can share a few good things from their perspective but I believe, by and large kids observe adults around them and emulate their behaviour. That's how we learn, that's how we grow.
While growing up, I also realised that, few things men and women in my family did were wrong. As teenagers we have immense sensitivity to notice these things but not necessarily the maturity to process it. We see things in society that we don’t agree with but lack the skill to articulate our feelings or the power to influence.
But as we become adults we are supposed to have gained that wisdom to work on these inputs. Do we consciously work on it or do we continue to unconsciously emulate our ancestors? Do we merely reflect the society by being one of them or have what it takes to form an individual stand?
These are roughly the three stages of our growth;
Childhood when we observe and soak,
Teenage when we observe and wonder,
Adulthood when we observe and evolve, form our own language of morality, define what is good and bad, right and wrong, fair and unfair.
As adults our growth does not end here, we need to continuously recalibrate that moral compass. This is where we go wrong most of the times. We stop learning, we stop accepting, we feel that we know everything, that our opinion is the correct version. Majority of us are like that, self declared know it all’s, unwilling to accept and absorb any feedback that comes our way.
Stop being rigid. Listen to perspectives without carrying any bias, shed those preconceived notions. Listen, think and if we still feel that our way of life is good, then we have every right to endorse that. But there isn’t any harm in listening. So open up and listen!
We can change the way we evolve in two ways:
First, to bring about that change within and organically influence those around you. It’s a slow process, but one that will have lasting impact, it will follow the way of evolution.
Second, we can start a revolution, it will create a hell lot of disruption, lot of blood will be spilled, but result will be instant. Question is whether it will be a sustainable change?
Anyway, now that I have said so much, coming back to the procedure, is there one? No I dont think so. But let us keep looking for one, at least we will be walking in the right direction and and let us seek feedback, yeah!