LETTERS: I believe in the importance of shaping our future generation with values of love and respect rather than hatred.
The Education Ministry's decision to organise Solidarity with Palestine Week in education institutions across the nation aims to teach students about empathy and compassion towards those who are suffering, regardless of their backgrounds.
However, what we witnessed in the viral videos was the opposite. It seems our young minds are being shaped to hate.
Hate, animosity and resentment are not innate emotions in children.
To combat these emotions, parents and teachers should educate them about love and respect for one another.
When educators target children to sow hatred, they teach more than just judgment and contempt for the other party.
These negative emotions can extend into adulthood, leading the children to become persons filled with hatred in general.
The development of children is shaped by their inherent nature and the lessons taught by parents and teachers.
When they are consistently exposed to hatred over a period of time, it becomes a challenging and time-consuming process to reverse the effects.
Teaching a child to hate can lead to consequences such as judgmental personality, aggressive or defiant behaviour and distrust for others.
Once the seeds of hatred are planted, they give rise to a significantly damaged tree.
Let us refrain from sowing the seeds of hatred early in their lives.
We must be mindful that hate begets hate, creating a vicious cycle of negativity. The reverse is true for love. That goes for everybody in this world.
It is essential that we provide the young with the foundation to become positive and compassionate individuals who can contribute to a harmonious and understanding world.
DR POLA SINGH
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
