1. Guiding our Children for a New Earth
After all the media attention about predicting the end of time on December 21,
2012, I am looking at how we can influence our society’s future for a New
Earth. Many of our society’s rules and behaviours now-a-days seem
dysfunctional. It starts with the justifications we give as to why we are eating
what we eat, the cars we drive, the amount of things we shop for, and the little
time we have to spend at the end of the day for ourselves and families; and it
ends with the little support for the child care and school systems, and many of
the priorities of our government and corporations!
To really take a close look at the behaviours of our children, we have to take a
close look at the whole picture, the totality of our society’s structure.
Personally, I am not convinced we can separate a child and her or his behavior from the whole. If a child
displays unwanted behaviour, where did it come from?
And what does unwanted behaviour truly mean? Unwanted - according to my/your feelings? Unwanted
according to which standards? Unwanted - because we are afraid the child might not fit into this society?
Will not be successfulin school or even in life?
Today I am challenging you to guide children from an inquiry based principle.
Inquiry means asking many questions and searching inside of yourself for answers. It means to look at all
these answers and then evaluate them. Where did your answers come from? Are they all purely
intellectual, based on fears, rules and structure? Did you come up with answers which came from your
mind to keep the status quo, to keep this structure of society? Or did you find a heart-centered answer?
Maybe you even received an answer through a “gut-feeling”.
Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist, said: "At
any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it"
In other words: we always make a choice between love or fear, ego or higher-self.
To be able to distinguish between the two we have to know ourselves.
We have to begin the inquiry:
Where do my beliefs come from?
Do I have assumptions?
Am I experiencing an emotion which interferes with making choices?
Do I know my emotions and feelings?
Have I healed my past?
Have I healed my dysfunctions?
Am I healthy?
Do I have good communication skills?
Am I nurturing myself?
Do I have enough information?
And the list goes on…

2. Through an honest inquiry you will reach a heart-centered decision. A heart-centered decision is a
decision which has taken into account all factors:
Environment (Family, culture, dysfunctions, people, things, socio-economics, colours, toys,
equipment etc.)
Temperament/Personality
Development (age, ability, awareness)
Health and Nutrition
Most of all a heart-centered decision is guided by our higher-self. It is not a decision to make us look
better, nor a decision to give in to fear.
In conclusion I leave you in wonder: So what about the New Earth?
Could it be a completely new society? Today’s is not working well … and we are looking for change.
We need new light. Our children are that new light. Their behaviour is a mirror to our world outside and a
reflection to our personal world inside. Our children’s behaviour questions our motivations and values.
Let’s face these beautiful mirrors right into the eye and see their shining sparkle - a glimpse of memory of
our own sparkle, the inner knowing,the remembrance of our own wisdom.
Let’s raise our children mindful and with awareness about our own behaviour. Step by step we grow our
awareness and heal our dysfunctions. Little by little we are raising new leaders, free spirited thinkers and
a New Earth.
Submitted by Christine Mann, Child Care Support and Outreach Consultant, Child Care Resource Program, North
Shore Community Resources