Children are victims of adults’ vices

• Children are tender and kind. They love everyone.
• Youngsters are cruel. They hate everyone.
• Grown-ups are nervous and busy. They don’t care for others.
• Elderly people are tired and angry. They hate youngsters and never understand them.
We are accustomed to all this. But why is there such a situation?
These 4 types of people I’ve mentioned don’t exist without any relation to each other. At first, a person is a child, then a youngster, then an adult and finally an elderly man/woman. But while growing up we always forget about our origins and stages passed. Our grannies consider us ill-bred though their grannies thought the same of them. So why, why, why can’t we all come to agreement? Unfortunately, I can’t say; no one can. But let’s just try to investigate the problem.
The title is the name of the sculptural composition by Michael Shemiakin, situated in the centre of Moscow, in Bolotnaya Square. That’s my favourite place; staying there is calming. So that it’s the best place to think over the problem raised. Shemiakin singles out 13 vices (an evil number, isn’t it?). Here they are:
1) Drug addiction. A lonely generation learnt this way of getting pleasure. We mustn’t condemn them, because it’s not their fault.
2) Prostitution. Poor girls dream about being well-off ladies. They don’t know that prostitution is not a way out; but getting involved they can’t stop.
3) Thievery. If parents are poor or just don’t have enough money they shouldn’t show it to their children, but should explain everything as if to adults. Children are smart and they can’t stand lies and bad treatment. They don’t know the word “forbidden” because they are not aware of “why”.
4) Alcoholism. Unfortunately, it’s inherited like a family disease.
5) Ignorance. As far as I understand, it’s the ignorance of adults who don’t think of ways of bringing up their children, and their careless attitude towards such a situation.
6) Irresponsible science. Medicine is meant because babies are often born ill and weak and the reason lies in medical treatment. There’s no point retelling once again the fact that the personnel of hospitals like to drink tea instead of looking after patients. I know because I was saved from such indifference.
7) Propaganda of violence. Since World War II any woman has been considered to give birth to a soldier; teenagers are keen on horrible computer games, but don’t want to go into army service.

The word “maniac” is not so frightening any longer. We live in a country where a person can’t be shocked any more. So isn’t it a reason why we are longing for unusual feelings?
8) Sadism. Just the same. In action.
9) For those without memory. We forget everything good and remember only the bad. We are careless and are eager to take revenge, though there is no aim.
10) Child labour. Some parents call their children lazy and others want their children to live with them until “death separates them”. But the most awful thing is wide-spread kiddie-porn: children quickly get taken in and their parents often don’t even know. By the way, they can’t help it, they can’t prevent their children from being involved and the government shuts its eyes to this and doesn’t take measures to stop its release.
11) Poverty. Do you remember:
– My grandfather fought for a world without the rich.
– That’s queer. My grandfather fought for the world without the poor.
There is a variety of opportunities to earn money but as a rule poverty results from some external reasons.
12) War. At first children don’t know what death is; then they don’t want to die. At last, being soldiers, they are to die. A vivid and terrible example is Bush’s campaign in Iraq.
13) In the middle of the group is “indifference”. We all know our faults but we don’t want to see them, to hear them and to discuss them. We are silent, blind and deaf. So what do we expect our children to do in future? In front of the “vices” there are the last two figures – the golden girl and boy who don’t see the surroundings, but should choose their way.
Michael Shemiakin wrote to his spectators:
“I created the sculptural composition ‘Children…’ as a symbol and a call for action to save the living and the future generations. For many years it has been declared and pathetically exclaimed: ‘Children are our future!’ However, it would take volumes to write down all the crimes of the society against children. I, as an artist, call upon you with this work to turn your heads around to hear and behold all those sorrows and horrors our children have to suffer nowadays. All sensible and honest people should stop and think before it’s too late. Don’t be indifferent: fight and do your best to save Russian’s future!”
And the last thing I’d like to say. When I was putting down that quotation a priest came to me and said: “There is one more vice missed.” – “What exactly?” – “Slavery”. In my opinion, all those concepts and slavery are interchangeable. When we behave bad, we are the slaves of our habits that rule us.