The child is bound to be conditioned, you are not || Acharya Prashant, with youth (2013)
Speaker: The mind of the child is like a sponge. It gets influenced by everything. Just as the sponge absorbs everything it comes in contact with, the mind of the child also absorbs everything. A child’s mind is like a clean slate. Anything can be written on it. Have you seen children? Have you seen how curious they are, how they look at everything? Have you ever seen a child sitting at the back-seat of the car? He would sit with his face towards the edge of the seat. He is looking all around and he is absorbing and absorbing and absorbing. And that is inevitable, there is nothing wrong with it because the child is not born with information.
It is alright that he must collect all information from the outside. He will do that. But, along with the information also come beliefs and influences. The child absorbs not only what he sees but also a particular religion. He is also made to observe the belief, about what the world is like, that the neighbour is good, the uncle is bad and such things. He cannot resist it. There is no way he can resist it. It is not possible for him. He is utterly helpless and dependent. It’s alright that he stored all these things, that he is getting information from the outside. He must be told which side of the road to walk. He must be told that the water is hot and he should not put his hands into it. His brain is not yet adequately developed. The brain is just like a sponge, absorbing and absorbing and growing.
But are you a child? Are you still five years, ten years old? Why should this thing keep happening with you? The child is dependent, that is understandable. The child is helpless, that is understandable. But at your age, why are you still like that child mentally? Why do you not look at the world with your own understanding? For a child, it is a physical disability. His brain is not yet developed. His ecological system is not developed. But in your case, it is not so.
You are well-developed. Why must you spend your life like a child? Dependent, holding, clutching.
Why?
(Silence)
Excerpted from a ‘Shabd-Yog’ session. Edited for clarity.
