Hmm... let's talk about this whole genetics thing
Whether someone actually learns to think for themselves or just parrots whatever they hear depends heavily on their environment—mainly how they were raised by their family. You have to be taught *how* to reason, even if there's a little bit of biological wiring involved
I don't know if I'm totally hitting the nail on the head here, but it feels like the cultural mindset is our biggest hurdle, and honestly, things don't look like they're getting any better—at least when it comes to how we raise kids in America.
Take your typical 16-year-old, for instance. They’re a straight-A student, healthy, social, totally fine with people—but they flat-out refuse to follow a single command from their parents. They'll throw a massive tantrum just because you asked them to run to the CVS, do the dishes, hang up the laundry, or just clean up their own mess. They don't care that the house is a disaster because, in their head, they'll eventually get around to it in three days whenever they feel like it. So, how do you actually get through to a kid that certain things need to happen *now*, not whenever they decide? Look, back in the day, being heavy-handed might have worked, but in this day and age, that just makes everything worse—and let's face it, we're still human beings. Even if you punish them for it, they just end up banging their head against a wall and doing exactly what they want anyway. At this point, I only see two real options: talking it out or a consequence. I can't see a third, fourth, or fifth way, though I'd like to believe they exist
Whether someone actually learns to think for themselves or just parrots whatever they hear depends heavily on their environment—mainly how they were raised by their family. You have to be taught *how* to reason, even if there's a little bit of biological wiring involved
I don't know if I'm totally hitting the nail on the head here, but it feels like the cultural mindset is our biggest hurdle, and honestly, things don't look like they're getting any better—at least when it comes to how we raise kids in America.
Take your typical 16-year-old, for instance. They’re a straight-A student, healthy, social, totally fine with people—but they flat-out refuse to follow a single command from their parents. They'll throw a massive tantrum just because you asked them to run to the CVS, do the dishes, hang up the laundry, or just clean up their own mess. They don't care that the house is a disaster because, in their head, they'll eventually get around to it in three days whenever they feel like it. So, how do you actually get through to a kid that certain things need to happen *now*, not whenever they decide? Look, back in the day, being heavy-handed might have worked, but in this day and age, that just makes everything worse—and let's face it, we're still human beings. Even if you punish them for it, they just end up banging their head against a wall and doing exactly what they want anyway. At this point, I only see two real options: talking it out or a consequence. I can't see a third, fourth, or fifth way, though I'd like to believe they exist