Bad Behavior Follows Bad Behavior

“To see and listen to the wicked is already the beginning of wickedness,”
Confucius, Chinese teacher, philosopher and political theorist.
According to Confucius, simply listening to an evil plan is not profitable. It could lead the listener down a wrong path. Why? Spreading rapidly is not just the action of a contagion; it is the flow of behavior as well. In a classroom, when one child acts up it seems to give permission for others to follow suit. The same is not quite as true for good behavior; positive action doesn’t as quickly ignite more positive actions in others like negative behaviors do. The multiplication of bad behaviors can be astounding. Confucius was spot on, so how do parents and teachers illustrate this point?
In Paolo Tiberi’s tale, The King and the Thief, the cycle of wrongdoing producing wrongdoing is obvious. This one story from Chronicles of King Argoz, Prince Ultan and Princess Maya shows how one king’s ugly selfishness, in effect, produces the ugly crime of theft in another. Honestly, the cycle could begin with the King’s upbringing. The King was pampered and hidden from the world. The King’s advisors hid the truth from him. The King’s laws were unduly hard on the people. The people grumbled. The people became sickly. The people turned to thievery. The cycle started at the top and trickled down to effect even the smallest children with sickness and hunger. According to the story, the father felt he had no other option but to turn to thievery because the current situations of the kingdom were such that he was broke and busted.
“I have no food to feed my family and my son is sick. We have no money to pay the village doctor or money to pay taxes. I was going to sell what I stole for money to buy medicine for my son.”
It is important that children realize that if they hand out wicked actions, they should not expect to get good ones in return. The concept of sowing and reaping is acknowledged worldwide, not just in certain religious circles. How can children see this pattern and be equipped to refuse it? Teachers can present children with scenarios to discuss or even role play. Discuss what happens when one child chooses to steal another child’s toy. Ask what actions might be taken against that thief. If children are honest, they’ll reveal many negative reactions. For the purpose of discussion, this can be good. When negative reactions are proffered, continue the discussion. What is then likely to happen? It will soon be evident that retaliation breeds more retaliation. It is one of the vicious cycles of the world. Ask children what they can do when something bad happens. Can they choose not to follow that with a bad behavior? Absolutely, they can. What if the child is presented with a bad situation? What can they do? They can be encouraged to think ahead and wonder what would happen to others if they followed through on their behavior choice. Ultimately, bad behaviors are followed by bad behaviors. Are parents and teachers doing their part to honestly address this situation and encourage cycle-stopping thought and positive actions?