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Good evening,
From the very beginning of the human race or any particular species it has always been about survival. Darwinian theory of “the survival of the fittest” clearly mention that in any species only the most acquainted members will survive and same applies for the human beings.
Yes I believe that it is very important to teach survival skills like cooking, giving first-aid, basic self defence etc. to the teenagers irrespective of their gender, caste, creed, religion, race, and other things. In this male dominant society women are always taught that they are the nutritionist of the family. Although I don’t disagree because someone has to do it either man or woman. But I do disagree with the fact the responsibility is burdened solely on a female. While a boy enjoys his teenage being pampered and spoiled, a girl is expected to learn cooking as early as possible. This archaic mindset of our society does not understand that the era has changed and somehow they are making that boy dependent on a female for something so basic like feeding himself. There is nothing to be ashamed or belittle about cooking your own meal.
First-aid is something so many people around us needs everyday. While suffering from a medical emergency, a little help in form of first-aid might save someone’s life as we know an ambulance might take hours to reach the doorstep. If given training like BLS one might save their family or friends and it should be a compulsory part of teenagers education in high school.
Apart from first-aid, basic self defence should also be a part of their curriculum. Growing up in a country like India every teenager’s parents are afraid of the safety of their little ones. The guardian cannot be around every single moment which makes one ponder that ‘what if children could protect themselves’. My father encouraged me to choose Karate as a sports when I was 8 years old. Though I was frustrated at that time because I really wanted to pursue football or horse riding but he insisted on a self defence course. But today when I see these news channels loaded with barbaric crimes like molestation, sexual assault, statutory rape etc. I can see it was for my betterment. Moreover these inhumane acts are not gender, caste or religion specific but only a reflection of psychologically handicapped part of our society.
So to conclude, with the changing time we all need to get rid of these age old social norms to help our youngsters fight and prepare themselves for any unpredictable situation which life might throw at them, so that they can bounce back like a survivor.
