compare/contrast essay

Corporal Punishment in Child Rearing

Children are divine creatures . Every human being is born with a tremendous potential to reach great heights of intelligence and creativity . Children most directly represent these enormous possibilities that human beings can attain to . In a civilized society every child has the birth right to get optimum care and loving support from parents and elders , and receive an education which can help her bring out the best out of herself . If we associate a certain human dignity with all men and women simply because they are human

beings then children have something which is more than dignity - they have a very special sanctity . Children have to be treated with high respect and utmost considerateness , besides love and kindness . How we deal with our children says a lot about the level of our evolution as a society

For five years , from 1979 to 1984 , Sweden passed an explicit ban on corporal punishment (Durrant 1996 . Such drastic measures may be needed in a more widespread context to curb this evil in our society . To beat children and subject them to corporal punishment simply seems to be a vestige of barbarism that is unfortunately still prevalent in our society . To abuse children by use of physical violence is a monstrosity But the worst of all is to abandon them at the tenderest age in the wide cruel world , or to make them work as cheap labor in the most atrocious working conditions and fend for themselves - a phenomenon which is very widespread in many poor and wretched Third World Countries

Child-rearing is one of the most important subjects an advanced society can concern itself with , perhaps more important than computer science or genetic engineering , for instance . Children represent the future of the society . They are little buds that are in need of sunshine , water , air and optimal living conditions through which they can come to their full blossom . Sadly , in our society , it is relatively rare to see people reach the fullness of their potential . Everyone or nearly everyone seems to be missing out in life , in some way or other , and most of a person 's shortcomings could be ultimately traced back to something going wrong in childhood . Even so , parents and teachers in our society still do not realize the profound importance of bringing up children in a manner that is optimally conducive to their growth and self-realization . Children are just brought up in the natural course of things , as if it is no big deal . But taking care of children in an ideal and rational manner is indeed a big deal . We have all to learn a great deal about child psychology and have a more sophisticated philosophy of dealing with our children . In such a philosophy , of course , there would be no room for such vile things as beating , humiliating and terrorizing young children in the name of teaching and disciplining

Or so it would seem . But in life things are always usually more...