We live in Java, my wife, my two children and I. It is a volcanic island, one among 10,000 islands of Indonesia. It is about the size of Britain, with about 140 million people. In my travels around the world I have come to realize that quite a lot of the people in the world have never heard about us. No matter, we haven't heard of many of them either. Whether we know of each other or not we all agree that it's a masochistic world that we live in. “The days of cheap food are over!” So is the affordability of education, health care, births, deaths, water and perhaps air. Peace has is on hold. We also agree that our children need to be well equipped to cope when they grow up. Some parents have jobs and inheritances waiting for their children, while others can only hope to instill sensible attitudes.
What is important for them to know? Below is my list of things I am going to use with my four year and three year old boys.
Learn to Make an Omelet
Making an omelet is within every child's motor ability. Making instant noodles is also well within a child's ability. If ever the time calls for it my sons can at least fend for themselves and even relish a bowl of noodles each with an egg on top. A nice tummy warming meal for less than 50 cents.
In Java these are fortunately enough food around to satisfy hunger. We have a lot of eggs, because we have more chickens than people. We also have in Java the biggest instant noodle maker on earth. An egg costs one cent. A packet of instant noodles cost 35 cents. If they skills to innovate up more exotic meals with noodles and egg the more, I shall be relieved. For dessert there are always bananas growing in someone's garden or plantation.
Eat Chocolate
Readers may think I am being facetious. I assure you I am not. I have worked for global chocolate manufacturer for most of my life and I know everything about the health values of good chocolate. I will pass on this knowledge and will encourage my boys to eat a small bar a day. If all this sounds a bit dubious go to barry-callebaut.com and look up Chocolate and health. What will they drink? At least four glasses of water a day and half a glass of red wine. Java is blessed with many mountain streams. We have drunk from some of them. Along the coast we are depleting our ground water and piped water is getting expensive. To get table wine regularly requires knowing the right people. I will do my best to keep my children modestly supplied.
Learn to Surf the Internet Soon
I can't afford to send them to expensive and “good” schools. To raise the Entrance Fee and pay the monthly fees will plunge other basic needs into a very precarious area for years. Especially stressful and fearful is that these payments are most intimidating in US dollars not Indonesian Rupiahs. The internet thankfully will develop them into knowledgeable people. I will also have to teach them to be discriminating and selective in their searches. A lively interest in the intellectual potential of this medium I trust will also encourage them to be furious readers.
It is not necessary to aim at being a doctor, lawyer or a professional golfer
In Java these are the dream careers of parents for their off spring.Various kinds of indoctrination, available on CDs or tape, begins with still dribbling toddlers. For children
I am sure it will be more rewarding, less stressful and easier on their conscience if they aimed to be plumbers, electricians, good cooks(not starred chefs who perform great wonders with Kobe Beef and French truffle) farmers, pastors or priests, waste disposal specialists, forest rangers, marine biologists, conservationists, writers and chocolatiers. There is ample need for all these occupations in Java.
Memorize “The Tiger”
I relish this poem by William Blake. Every child from four onwards should know how to recite all six verses. I can't imagine anyone who could accomplish this will ever be anything but civilized. This poem is available for print-out from Bartleby.com. Great Books Online, Arthur Quiller Couch Edition of the Oxford Book of English Verse.
Pray
I will teach my children to pray, as well as to listen to God. Pray for everything and for every reason. Listen for answers. I am, only now learning how to listen to God so it may take some time before I will be able to pass this skill on to my children. In the meantime I will teach them the Lord's Prayer. Make them understand that in this Prayer we ask Him for everything we could possibly need. We only need to give Him one thing in return; forgive others as He forgives us. This also may be the right time to tell them about the most important, and oh dear, the most difficult, of God's Commandments, “Love one another.”
