Why have children become so violent and generally disengaged? To start answering this question, it is necessary to consider the children’s states of mind. Just as pilots and drivers are taught how to fly a plane or drive a car through the use of computer-based training, children are being conditioned through the violence they encounter in their computer games and entertainment and are being lost in various virtual realities.
The object of every game is to win, or in other words to get your own way, to overcome obstacles, especially those games where one is taught to kill or destroy the opponents. In addition to this we are being brainwashed by the media promoting that “things” will bring us happiness, every billboard, advertisement, radio, television and internet all scream forth suggestions that if we buy this, own that, taste this, wear that, then we’ll be happy and have status within our social circles. Mediation For Children (The Gurmukh Series – by Dav Panesar)
Children are impressionable and easily lead astray, being subjected to thousands of hours of advertisements, conditioning them into young addicts craving for happiness, through material objects and things and training them to always get their way!
Studies on meditation in children are showing great promise, addressing issues such as violent behaviour, attention deficit disorder, increasing creativity, intelligence and providing a sense of self-worth and esteem. Study published in Thinking Skills and Creativity in 2006 states that teachers report that meditation helps create a happier, healthier and more focused learning environment, while the children showed that practice of meditation reduces stress, promotes relaxation and well-being while developing the skills of concentration and self-control, enhancing emotional intelligence and self-esteem.
Mindfulness has also been taught in a few schools around the UK with inspiring results. Many of the children who have learnt and adopted mindfulness into their daily routine saw an increase in academic achievement, emotional stability and greater capacity to sleep.
Mindfulness in schools in a non-profit organisation attempting to have every school incorporate mindfulness in PSHE (Personal Social Health and Economic education) as part of the National Healthy Schools Program.