From a Child's Eyes
"How old do you think I am?" I asked a 5-year old girl after she announced that she's just a kid and that we are undoubtedly older than she is... just because we're bigger. Without much hesitation she replied "Ten years old!" Ahhhh.... so ten years old to her is unbelievably old. And I would bet that her parents are 15 and her grandparents around 30.
As amusing as her response may have sounded, it made me realise how small things and concepts are to a child, much much smaller than we'd dare to imagine. They view the world with purely innocent eyes, feel according to what is real to them. It is no doubt that we live in a complicated society, but a child wouldn't understand what complications exist, or why. When we think about it, the grown ups are the ones who weave for themselves complexities, oftentimes unnecessary and ridiculous.
Don't you find that it's simpler to converse with a child? One gets straight-forward answers, brutal truths sometimes, but over all an honest response. Sugary words, flowery phrases without substance, self praise, scornful comments, malicious and snide remarks... all from adults, but never from children. At least not from young children. To them, there is no such thing as pretension or mind-games. They look and act angry when they are angry, they show their temper when they feel like it, they don't hold back with their hugs and kisses, and when they love you, they just love you. These are probably why happiness to them is so easy, nothing extraordinary. They want not for much. Remember, small things, simple concepts, a small world... therefore easily content.
Don't you ever sometimes wish you were still a 5-year old? I admit that when I'm in deep reverie of years long past, I do too... just sometimes.
As amusing as her response may have sounded, it made me realise how small things and concepts are to a child, much much smaller than we'd dare to imagine. They view the world with purely innocent eyes, feel according to what is real to them. It is no doubt that we live in a complicated society, but a child wouldn't understand what complications exist, or why. When we think about it, the grown ups are the ones who weave for themselves complexities, oftentimes unnecessary and ridiculous.
Don't you find that it's simpler to converse with a child? One gets straight-forward answers, brutal truths sometimes, but over all an honest response. Sugary words, flowery phrases without substance, self praise, scornful comments, malicious and snide remarks... all from adults, but never from children. At least not from young children. To them, there is no such thing as pretension or mind-games. They look and act angry when they are angry, they show their temper when they feel like it, they don't hold back with their hugs and kisses, and when they love you, they just love you. These are probably why happiness to them is so easy, nothing extraordinary. They want not for much. Remember, small things, simple concepts, a small world... therefore easily content.
Don't you ever sometimes wish you were still a 5-year old? I admit that when I'm in deep reverie of years long past, I do too... just sometimes.
posted by Jovs @ 11:42 pm
6 Comments:
At 12:26 pm,
Anonymous said…
Ah, to be a child again.
Jovs, at my age, I sometimes wonder why I can no longer "look forward" --- I mean, envision the future. Most of the time, I tend to "look back", reminisce my childhood, my HS and college years, etc. But when I was a child, I had a "mental picture" of the future. It was like, "Ah, I have a life to live."
At 6:39 pm,
Unknown said…
Nice post Jovs!
If only we "grown-ups" can act like children (pure, innocent, carefree etc.) this world would be a better place.
At 8:08 pm,
Analyse said…
hmmm...if only we could. when i look at my daughter staring to a certain object, i just wonder what's playing on her mind...at 3 months old, i guess she's got her worries of her own, now it's more of trying to touch her toys, but she just cant control her hands yet..
At 2:37 pm,
Ka Uro said…
nice post jovs. we, adults have a lot to learn from children. as you've said a lot of the complexities in the world are brought about by adults. only adults have biases and prejudices that is the cause of a lot of conflicts in the world. unfortunately children learn those things from adults.
At 10:17 pm,
Anonymous said…
Hello jovially jovy Jovs. How's life been? Looks like you've been busy :) Happy Chinese New Year to you. Pay me a visit sometime in Brissie, without that dude who's always hanging onto you like you're velcro or something. I visit your blog for the first time in 5 months and this popup tells me I am the winner of a 3 day, 2 night Bahamas Cruise. How very lovely.
Would you agree if I said I think you can be a child again? It's all in the mind. Certain aspects of childhood that we admire: innocence, fascination, the thirst to understand, simplicity. These are all one's perspective, which if we learnt as adults in the process of growing up, can surely as well be unlearnt. Have you noticed that many successful people are childlike in many ways?
At 1:24 am,
Jovs said…
It does go like that, doesn't it Bugsy? Well, one looks back more because there are heaps of rich memories built up through the years... whereas for a child, his life's history is still being made, thus still short, and the only thing to look to is ahead. :-)
Rhada & Analyse, you both have your kiddos... for sure you have and will see very swift transformation in them. Such a wonder a child's world is!
KaUro, sometimes when we choose to break rules (even the simplest ones such as beating a red light), and then youngsters question our actions inquiring why we're doing something against the rule (coz we told them they are against the rules!), we brush things off by saying "oh it's ok, it's only this one time." This does cause confusion in the minds of children, doesn't it? So, what are we teaching... the right thing or the wrong thing?
Bkiat!!!... man, it's been a long time indeed! We thought that you've vanished... permanently! Well, I heard that you're coming down to Melb around Easter... will catch up then. And we'll discuss what child-like qualities you have. =)
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