Sometimes you forget something, very small but with massive importance; forgetting your house keys, not noticing that you left legos scattered across the floor, or walking all the way to your room to pick something up that's on the other side of the house.
Such an obvious problem was presented to my three-four year old self, that had taken refuge inside the chimney while my mother was cleaning the house for Santa’s visit.
“Mama?”
“Is there anything you need?” My mother asked, as she focused on her hyperactive child. “Are you still inside the chimney? Come watch a movie till I finish.”
“Mama, the chimney is blocked,” my child self was preoccupied with staring at the ceiling of the chimney to notice my mother’s expression, “how does Santa get in?”
My mother didn’t even miss a beat as the lie swiftly rolled off her tongue, “why! We leave the window open a tiny bit for him to come in!” To add to the effect, she even opened the window.
Even though the explanation  was shady and highly suspicious, all my younger self did was say, “ok.” Not giving her mother’s explanation a second thought, as she continued running around the house.
I recalled this moment by accident when trying to come up with a topic for this essay, though I was very shocked and scared at how easily my younger self believed this lie. What if it hadn’t been a harmless lie about Santa Claus? What if it had been about the Earth being flat?! I can recall other moments in my life when I, and others, had wholeheartedly believed a blatant lie.
Such as what happened during a birthday party in first grade. The choice for drinks was either Coca- Cola or Fanta. I obviously chose Coca- Cola and believed that everyone would too, after all, our class voted Coca-Cola as the best drink ever. Yet out of all the class only five of us chose to drink Coca Cola, while most stuck with the yellowish Fanta. All five of us were surprised and couldn’t help but ask why.
“Because Coca Cola is made from dead rats! They beat them to death and then they squeeze the rats to get the juice out!“ As if to dispel suspicions from our minds, she also added, “my mother told me so!”
   Even after my mother had denied that Coca-Cola was made from rats, my six year old self  refrained from drinking Coca-Cola and chose a nice cup of water next time instead!  
Most are harmless lies; Santa Claus being real or that Coca-Cola is made from rats, however some other cases can even be considered indorotication. It adds truth to that saying ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ as your parents will imprint on you, unconsciously or consciously, their opinions. And not only your parents; your teacher, friends and many others will have an affect on your opinions. Though you will be more vulnerable when you are just a child, as you might be lacking experience and knowledge.
A clear example of indoctrination can be found in Animal Farm by George Orwell, (spoilers ahead) when the little cute puppies transform into Napoleon's feral bodyguards. Though Animal Farm is a fictional story, and there isn’t a chance of animals rebelling against humans, It is based on true life, or more exactly, on the rise of the Soviet Union.
And the Soviet Union wasn’t the first or last power who has used indoctrination to have loyal citizens or workers who don’t question anything. During communism in Albania the news was changed, to how everyone outside of Albania was starving and in extreme poverty, to convince the citizens that communism was awesome and people should appreciate that.
Propaganda also tries to convince your kids to buy their product because ‘it is the best’, or the television show that your kids watch is trying to teach them their opinions or morals.
It is so easy to indoctrinate children, and even adults too, and it is truly everywhere and no one can’t escape it. Because you can’t escape from opinions, child or adult.