Would it be considered abuse to implant memories into a child even if they lead to improved performance and a better quality of life,
..and if your metric of ' improved performance' and 'better quality of life', was the opposite of what they judged them to be ... it would screw them up - and lead to seeing themselves as 'failures'..?
Abuse...?
Implanting entirely fake memories into impressionable minds is betrayal, in my opinion, however good the intentions. What if a child later discovers that the narrative about what happened in the life of the child repeated by the parent cannot be true? Trust will be gone. Valuing truth is one important bullwark against turning life into a free-for-all with no regard for anything external. Perception of goodness is notoriously subjective. If we don't value truthfulness, we will silence that little voice in the back of our minds telling us not to lie to ourselves. Dangerous waters.
There is a generation of German children who had to at some point face their parents and ask, "how could you not have known?"
What about political or religious truths that people train their children in various ways to believe, are they truths or opinion?
It is interesting to consider what we teach our children without actually considering what we teach our children.
In my opinion, it's something very different to lie about a child's personal life history than let them absorb the political or religious ideas that we hold. They are about the world and not central to the relationship between the child and the parent. Children will question their parents' political or religious ideas as part of their normal development in adolescence. But it's not a good idea to implant fake memories or life histories into their minds. Normal people don't do that.
This depends heavily on how it is taught and what the consequences are doesn't it? Not everyone lives in Finland.
Is there a level where it is okay or not? a child walking in on their parents in the bedroom? How does that generally get explained? Is it a lie that changes their memory of that event?
Finland is hardly unique in this regard. At least a billion people can be considered part of Western Civilization.
Of course, there are levels to everything. What you do in that case is explain it in some age appropriate way. The kid will connect the dots later. What I've been saying is that you shouldn't construct life histories for the child with no regard for what actually happened.
Even the smallest change or reframing of the narrative is construction and can have profound effects on action and be completely untraceable to that point later in life. Is radical honesty the answer and then, does it start from birth?
Notice the part "...with no regard for what actually happened". I've been talking about entirely fake narratives as in making up stuff that never happened. While there is always room for interpretation that space is not limitless.
None of it is entirely fake though, same as the false cases of abuse. they start from truths and then lead away, one small step at a time. With inattention from parents, perhaps more are making small steps away each day as they themselves try to get more time to satisfy their wants.
There are incentives at play aren't there?
This is the question isn't it? Nearly everything taught to a child is considered to improve performance and better quality of life. A father that beats his kid may think he is teaching them lessons about the reality of the world. A parent who teaches a child to count to pass school tests? Is there a difference or is the difference based on probabilities about pathways available? There are some very successful and happy people who were abused as children and some very unsuccessful and depressed ones who were given what would be considered a good upbringing.
..And I wonder how many of all these people could be traced back to 'truthfulness' or 'deceit' as the main reason to how successful they grow into adulthood...?
I have no idea, but I would be willing to make a bet...
But you are containing success to some financial area of life alone, maybe that is your programming speaking? :P
Where do I say that ?
Financial success isn't relevant. I'm talking as human beings.
.....maybe that is your programming speaking....?
😂😂
Good question, because "better" "good" and other adjectives are subjectively deployed most often!!