Developing Our True Nature

Practical activities and resources for promoting an understanding that:-

OUR TRUE NATURE IS GOODNESS AND HAPPINESS.

GENERALLY WE CAN:-

Encourage our children to realise their own worth and to treat everyone as being of worth and entitled to respect.

Build their faith in their innate capacity to be happy and to live well.

Avoid setting up expectations of perfection.

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS:-

  • Talk about the ways in which we are all the same.
  • Downplay focussing on external differences such as appearances and other physical differences.
  • Rather than tell them they can be anything they want, say we don’t know what we can do until we try.
  • Recognise and praise their efforts and their contributions.
  • Find opportunities to teach your children about those people who demonstrate/have demonstrated the best of human qualities.  Famous examples would include Nelson Mandela, Aung Sun Suu Kyi, and Martin Luther King. There may be examples within your local community as well.

RESOURCES

Look for books, songs and movies about: True worth, Common humanity, Peace, Calmness, Stillness, Joyfulness, Goodness, Wisdom, Strength, Dignity, Respect, Justice, Self-Respect, Self-reliance, Courage, Resilience, Fortitude, Confidence, Trust, Love, Freedom, Creativity.

Here are some suggestions:-

SONGS about Our True Nature

  • “Video” -India Arie.  Not getting caught up in focussing on our body or our looks.  Loving yourself unconditionally.  Video

MOVIES about Our True Nature

  • “The Wizard of Oz” – The wizard shows the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion that they had the brains, heart and courage that they thought they lacked.  They just needed to have self-belief and overcome their self-doubt.
  • Beauty and the Beast”. -You can’t judge a book by its cover.
  • “Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” – A fantasy family movie about believing in yourself and realizing your potential. Also about friendship and change and accepting death. “When one story ends another begins.” 

STORIES and BOOKS about Our True Nature

  • The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen. About self-perception versus reality and the unveiling of our true nature.
  • Beauty and the Beast.  Traditional fairy tale.
  • Cinderella.  Cinderella’s good heart has its reward.
  • Mirror by Jeannie Baker.  PB.  About a family in Morocco and a family in Sydney.  We are all the same though outwardly we look different.
  • “The Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. The wizard shows the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion that they had the brains, heart and courage that they thought they lacked.  They just needed to have self-belief and overcome their self-doubt.

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