Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 185
! ! 185 also begin to lie, steal, and use foul language. Thus, the period of childhood is not only a vast arena for learning excellent morals but is also a great space in which to ruin the morals of others. In my opinion , even great leaders are not as succe ssful in convincing others through their lectures and speeches , as a child is in influencing other children with his conversation. I exclude spiritual leaders from this category , as they are supported by hosts of angels who spread their influence. A young boy who is in the habit of lying can easily persuade one to two hundred boys to fall into the habit of lying. A young boy who is in the habit of stealing can easily mold one to two hundred boys to take up the habit of stealin g. Thus, those whose morals are corrupted in childhood, not only r uin themselves, but also cause the destruction of others. Childhood habits are so potent that they become difficult to correct in adulthood, to the extent that eminent philosophers and intellectuals are rendered helpless. I n my opinion, the most im portant action in safeguarding superior morals is that we exercise great c oncern and supervise ou r next generations. This is no trivial matter, but an ex tremely important one. To achieve this, the first step is to adopt moderation and the middle path. Neither should one be so strict, that t he y cannot meet other children , nor should one be so lenient as to give t h e m free reign. If a child is not permitted to play with other children , their morals will not develop, becaus e if this is done a child becomes ready to accept a bad habit as soon as he is exposed to it. This is because bad influence s are only defeated by willpower , which cannot develop unless the child encounters both good and bad children. A child who is confined within his home and is not allowed to meet others , will remain a boy even when he is fifty years old. H e will be like th e glass vessel which breaks at the slightest tap. When faced with evil, h e w ill be unable to fight it. However, by continuing to meet people , he will develop a sense of judgment as to what is good and what is bad, and he will attain the strength to withstand evil. I have observed that children who are watched too closely , grow to be weak and even when they perform a good deed , it is due to a habit and not because of inner strength that oppose s evil. Consequently, they engage in immoralities as soon as they ar e exposed to them.