Page 52 - NAMAH-Oct-2021

Namah Vol. 29, Issue 3, 15th October 2021

the spiritual dimension that surpasses all from social phobias either in social settings
our behavioural techniques in making our (with unfamiliar peers and not only unfamiliar
children warriors over fears and phobias. adults) or in performance situations (sports,
music). There are children who can feel
embarrassed to speak out in the classroom,
answer questions or recite. There are others
who might feel uncomfortable to attend social
gatherings or even indulge in extra-curricular
activities. One key breakthrough can happen
if such children are facilitated to enjoy peer-
group activities. Baden Powell took the cue
that children and adolescents like to get
organised in natural gangs and it is the gang-
spirit that can help them to face adventure
Children do not understand that their by overcoming insecurities. This is how the
fears are unreasonable but which adults Boy Scouts became a successful character-
with phobias recognise. Naturally the most building movement that complemented
common behavioural attitude shown is school education. One has to work on the
avoidance. One tries to avoid situations positive potentialities of childhood. Too many
which are stressful. It is here that parents reminders of difficulties faced do not help
and teachers can come forward to lead by but may instead make parents unwilling
example. Avoidance is an atavistic trait collaborators in reinforcing such unhealthy
for human beings, unlike animals, which behaviour.
turn around to face dangers. One common
example I have found useful to explain to The feeling of insecurity gets invariably
children that among the initial inventions linked up with the feeling of low self-esteem
made by human beings was the boat. Imagine in growing children This is what makes the
how fearless was the attitude to make a boat child suffer more. Fearlessness needs to be
to sail in the sea. consciously cultivated and it is here that parents
and teachers have to design innovative ways
And I find Sri Aurobindo’s poem, ‘To the that would be unique for every child. For
Sea’ (2) very useful to enforce my point. The each child has a different background and a
human being takes up the challenge to sail the different story to tell. There are many children
boat by winning over the sea. If perchance he who actually became insecure and started
fails in his mission, he would get drowned having phobias after being insensitively
but then he would be bearing the entire sea handled not only by parents but by teachers
on his bosom – in any case he does not lose! It at school !
is such a beautiful analogy and is so effective
in counselling to help insecure children to get The Mother elaborates the spiritual agenda
over their avoidance behaviour. that overrides all fears and phobias, “Fear
stems from a sense of inferiority. However,
Then there are children who classically suffer there is a way to be free from it: it is to have

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