An Idea From George Orwell's "Such, Such Were the Joys..."

"The weakness of a child is that it starts with a blank sheet." - Orwell

We've all heard how impressionable children are, and that we should protect them. That's a good idea in general, unless of course, the point is to make them into little copies of ourselves, or into automatons, mindlessly doing our bidding. Yes children are impressionable and can be easy to manipulate. That increases the responsibility of any adult in proximity to a child. In some respects; parents, teachers and other authorities that a child spends much time around bear the most responsibility. But all adults should recognize their obligation to respect and protect children.

This doesn't mean an adult must drop everything each time an opportunity for providing guidance to a youngster arises. It does mean there are moments when an adult should reassure, educate or merely speak in a respectful manner to a child. This often helps the child cultivate a sense of self-respect and their worthwhile place in society. Dragging a kid into your religion or political sphere is not an example of this. Note: I am not talking about parents here. Adults are often selfish in their interaction with children, unnecessarily talking down to, or seeking to influence the impressionable.

When, as in the case of Orwell's essay; the role of adult calcifies, and society does not value the individual child, bad things happen. If we are lucky, the child becomes a creative anti-authoritarian. If not, the child often becomes oppressive like the adult example, or worse. Privilege is no guarantee of safety for the child. They may suffer fewer hardships, but they still feel the weight of requirement from adults and struggle with the issue of how much to conform. This stifles the ability to get an individual sense of the world, and reduces the capacity for empathy toward others. A good example of this tragedy is our president, George W. Bush. However one interprets his qualities, it's clear they came from the culture within which he was raised. Cautionary tales begin at home.