In Engineering, we were taught about control systems and feedback loops. Thanks to a professor who, ironically, refused to take feedback, the subject was a total sham of Important Questions before exams.
Later, when I got married (and during the courtship) I used to joke about how life with a partner is a perfect control system with a continuous feedback loop. Except, it was just a joke - Not throwing a wet towel on the bed or not scratching my underarms - were just acts of love. The real control system was when I had a child. Children are the real deal when it comes to feedback systems - they mirror your actions so much that you become conscious and change.
First it was the joy of seeing my daughter pick up my kindle to read a story to her toy. Then the mild amusement of watching her accumulate her books into nice stacks without ever reading them. Then to downright ignore anything being said to her when she pretends to play on her toy phone. So we became conscious, the missus and I. We don’t express our anger in four letter words, We don’t comment on how her teacher’s intelligence, We don’t vocally judge the grandparents/neighbors, hell our fights are civil!
The pseudo engineer and fiction lover in me wonders - would a society where the children tag along with adults be a more conscientious place. Imagine they follow you every minute and every week the adults will have to watch what their children have picked up from them in a big social gathering. Every corner - the CCTV cameras are replaced with children who will act out your deeds during the weekly mirror time.
Maybe people won’t spit on the roads or secretly slip the garbage under the car
Maybe people would think twice about trolling on social media or commenting on a woman’s dress or someone’s faith
Maybe people will reduce fondly mentioning each other’s mothers and sisters alongside anatomical references
if your acts are not worth passing onto your children - then should you even be acting that way in the first place? That is the point of control systems that they probably should be teaching.
1 comment:
MY Fav lines
• Thanks to a professor who, ironically, refused to take feedback
• Later when I got married and during courtship I used to joke about how life with a partner is a perfect control system with a continuous feedback loop
• The real control system was when I had a child. Children are the real deal when it comes to feedback systems-they mirror your actions so much that you become conscious and change
• First it was the joy of seeing my daughter pick up my kindle to read a story to her toy
• We don't vocally judge the grandparents/neighbors, hell our fights are civil!
• Every corner- the CCTV cameras are replaced with children who will act our deeds during the weekly mirror time
• if your acts are not worth passing onto your children - then should you even be acting that way in the first place? That is the point of control systems that they probably should be teaching
What you've written is pure gold my friend! Lots to learn from this piece of yours!
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