Rabbi Brandon Gaines Discusses Why Teaching Our Youth to Avoid an Intellectual Challenge Is Making Them Wimps
Beverly Hills, CA, April 20, 2017 (Newswire.com) - When a person’s beliefs are challenged or mocked, they can react a number of ways. Some people will be overcome with fear and refuse to defend their beliefs. Others, however, will embody the qualities of Hollywood’s admirable tough guys and defend their beliefs with the necessary confidence. According to Rabbi Brandon Gaines, many people today aren’t doing their part to make sure the next generation isn’t intimidated by intellectual conflict.
“Why are we raising a generation so intimidated by conflict? Of someone standing in stark opposition to their point-of-view?” said Rabbi Gaines. “There is a very good reason why Martial Arts doesn’t boast an “Ostrich” style; no one has ever aspired to emulate the Ostrich’s “powerful fighting” technique — face down in the sand praying for the enemy to run by. Tiger, leopard, and eagle, in contrast, do possess Martial significance, and hence, there are many styles named after them. Why? Simple. They represent the strength, confidence, and agility we humans long to experience. “
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Brandon Gaines, Rabbi
According to Rabbi Gaines, parents, educators, and leaders need to carefully consider what values they are bequeathing to the next generation. They must put more effort into passing on the timeless skills and values needed to conquer seemingly insurmountable odds. By teaching the youth that it is preferable to avoid intellectual challenge, a process held near and dear to masters in generations past, people are condemning them to a life of mediocrity, boredom, and sadness.
“So let’s encourage our youth to ponder, question, challenge, and yes, even debate. For it is there, in the hallowed halls of intellectual toil, that their inner mental happiness is waiting to be discovered. While mental sharpness is, admittedly, not the only ingredient necessary to bake the “cake” of human happiness, it is a vital part of its chemistry, and we should make every effort to reintroduce its methods back into education. Once that happens, it will only be a matter of time before the weak, intimidated “ostrich” of our current generation evolves to become a mighty tiger.”
As a rabbi, martial artist, author, and Chinese Medicine practitioner, Brandon Gaines holds a lifelong commitment to scientific learning. With his wife, Dr. Dee Gaines, an award-winning neuropsychologist, he teaches that unification of religion and science is not just fascinating but necessary.
Source: Rabbi Gaines
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