Punishment

Have you noticed how our whole Western culture

revolves around Punishment and fear?

Wouldn’t it be lovely to receive (and dish out) some praise, thanks and encouragement for a change.

There are parents who don’t speak to their children all day, until the child does something the adult disapproves of, then they come down on the kids like a tonne of bricks, and administer a punishment.

Then there are bosses who never compliment or encourage their staff all year, but are quick to call them in for a disciplinary when something goes wrong.

I was thinking specifically about the police, who will never thank or reward us careful drivers for many years of safe driving, but are happy to slap an endorsement and fine on us the one time we do something slightly wrong.
There is no encouragement or incentive to do good, only punishment when we make a mistake. This is a sad state of affairs.

How does Nature handle these matters? Do you plant a flower in a pot, then go out and hit it to make it grow? Do you punish a tomato plant for not producing its fruit? Isn’t it better instead, to water it, fertilise it, encourage it, keep it warm, look after it, love it, speak kind words to it?

I would much rather my kids did the right thing because they love me, not fear me.

I say we should be treating each other like this:

Lets lift each other up,

commend one another,

support one another,

encourage one another,

love each other,

accept each other,

praise one another for doing good.

Let’s not wait for someone to slip up, then hammer them like our social culture dictates. Let’s rise above the norm and encourage people to do good.

After all, to prevent is better than to cure.