Scaring the Children!

Prudence = marked by wisdom or judiciousness. Foolish = lacking in sense, judgment, or discretion. Were these teachers being prudent or foolish when they lied to a group of sixth graders that a gunman was trying to kill them?

Scaring the hell out of children doesn’t strike me as a positive, healthy, uplifting thing to do. I dare say that most students (of any age) are more at “risk” of torment by misguided teachers than un-hinged gunmen or terrorists. But it does show how distorted thinking creates more, well, distortions.

Question: How many of the 6th grade students who experienced the fake gunman attack will trust their adult teachers (adults in general) in the future? Instead of making the children more safe, the thinking of the teachers in Tennessee made them less safe. When 6th grader “Johnny” asked if this was a drill and was told it wasn’t, that it was real, he was lied to. This isn’t anything new. There’s the old tale of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. In this case, it’s the adult in authority who’s crying wolf. Adults are supposed to know better.

It seems to me that the teachers were afraid of such an attack. With fear on their mind (and feeling) they literally created more fear via the children. Not one thing in the universe was created to “protect” the youngsters from some nut with a gun or other lethal device. All that was created was more of the fear and dread that led to the exercise. Some of them may dwell upon their fear of being murdered by someone that they lose sleep, resist going outside, who knows. Like thoughts attract like thoughts. Thoughts make decisions. Decisions create activity. Activity begets activity.

In its own way this ham-handed experience illustrates once again the creative power of thinking. Like attracts like. I suspect that some of the adults involved in this mischeif live by the philosophy “misery loves company,” which is another way of stating the nature of the law. It’s no secret.

Even the strikingly popular DVD and Book “The Secret” is wildly misunderstood. What is on your mind? What do you expect? “I might not get what I want, but I always get what I expect.” Ever made that statement? That sums it up. Sure, someone might want to live in a super house, drive a cool car, be linked with a sexy romance, etc., but if the person expects something to contrary, what results?

Duh.

One can’t increase safety by increasing fear.