“One of the biggest issues today is our disconnect from nature—a trend that alarmingly extends even to younger generations.” Robin Nguyen
Part Eleven: Teach Your Kids Humanity First, Not Technology
Humanity is the foundation of true passion, compassion, and meaningful innovation. Children only begin to understand other people and the natural world when they form genuine connections with them. Plants, metals, and animals all exhibit structural principles akin to those found in humans.
Today’s generation risks losing touch with this human core. They calculate every interaction, forgetting the simple act of giving without expectation. That’s one reason service quality has declined in many developed nations: we’ve replaced heartfelt connection with cold efficiency.
When empathy fades, people throw themselves into work, fling themselves into fleeting romances, and speed through life—only to end up isolated. Suspicion grows between strangers, and without a safety net of compassion, individuals facing hardship can feel there’s nowhere to turn. In desperation, some even fall prey to addiction and other harmful escapes.
By teaching children to value humanity first—through acts of kindness, active listening, and community service—we give them the roots they need to flourish. When they learn to lean on each other, they build resilience against life’s inevitable challenges.
Technology—whether smartphones or AI—should be the last element in your child’s education, not the first. After all, technology will always be accessible, and children rarely start out with the discipline or skills to manage AI tools, social media, or digital games responsibly. Left unguided by human values—empathy, ethics, critical thinking—technology threatens to drive our world toward disaster: worsening climate change, deepening hatred, fueling unfair competition, and even sparking new conflicts.
If Buddhism teaches peace and Christianity teaches compassion as the foundations of joy, then technology—when misused—can pull us away from those very values.
Author: Robin Nguyen
