Learning from Child, the father of the Man

If William Wordsworth were in my sight now, I would have leapt in joy for his line in a verse: The Child is father of the Man. dreamt of it as in the morning I came across a few children playing on the swings. They were making merry with ups and downs, at the same time counting, one, two... ninety-nine, hundred. A little later, another group of children got swinging there. Some of them were reciting the to-dos from their daily to-do list; maybe, as written in their school diary.

After a while, a slightly senior among the children pleaded to me in a loud voice, “Uncle, please make the swing shorter in length.” The intention was the seat would come up higher above the ground, and the bigger children with longer legs could also enjoy their turn on the swings.

I went up to them, examined the swing, and pondered over it as if it was a big cutting and welding project. Seeing me lost, a child said, “Uncle, just throw the seat to the other side over the beam (a twist in the chain as a result would make it shorter).”

Not done yet, more follows here on. The children got their things together to pack for home. One of them came up with a petition again, “Uncle, please make the swing as it was before.” They didn’t forget the learning: Put things back in their place before you leave.

Nature has been imparting knowledge to us for centuries, rather millenniums. Children are also rich source of knowledge. An infant’s smile cheers us up, but little do we care what our smile can add to the experience of strangers’ feelings. An infant smiles not knowing what it means to us. Yet, we would not despite knowing what it means to others.

A child doesn’t hold grudges for long. He comes quick back to friendly terms once his grievance is set right. Do we?

A child has perhaps a great lesson when he likes and loves things taught in a simple and simpler way. A peaceful life can come about only when we think without prejudices, act in line with simple goals, giving up snobbery and hypocrisy.

And yet a bigger lesson from children is to stay alive up with curiosity. See the new in everything surrounding you. Speak the truth without fear and awe.

A child’s mind is an abode of crystallised hope, curiosity, fun and innocence. Random activities of an infant like abrupt smiles, fast moving of legs all of a sudden, cries following smiles or vice-versa have encrypted meanings, but subject to varying explanations.

A child’s activities are a good implicit lesson in child psychology. We are today what kind of good and bad experiences we had in childhood. A disturbed childhood is a hotbed of juvenile delinquencies. The implicit lesson made me fantasise Wordsworth.

A PEACEFUL LIFE CAN COME ABOUT ONLY WHEN WE THINK WITHOUT PREJUDICES, ACT IN LINE WITH SIMPLE GOALS, GIVING UP SNOBBERY AND HYPOCRISY