24/06/2026
Tabula rasa,” a Latin term meaning “clean slate” or “blank slate,” is often used to describe the mental state of a newborn child. As that child grows and develops, the person she eventually becomes is shaped by a multitude of factors.
Human character and behavior are the result of a complex interplay of upbringing, family values, community environment, education, life experiences, and even exposure to the digital and cyber world.
These influences collectively help mold an individual’s beliefs, attitudes, and actions. In many ways, a child is a reflection of the environment in which he or she is nurtured, shaped by the family, school, community, and the many experiences encountered throughout life.
Therefore, the parents, the school with its role as "loco parentis" and the government with its role as "parens patriae", play indispensable roles in shaping the character of our children. If they go astray and become menace to our society, the blame rests on the people and community who failed to mold him into a good and useful individual. These people and community failed the child not the other way around.
