Jul 16 2008
“Wise are the children who know”
This quote is from Rusell van den Berg and was shared with me in a class on self-esteem. We were asked to reflect on the quote, and then discussed what it meant to us.
The moral of the discussion was, what do children know that adults lose as we age? The ability to have fun. The ability to dance, laugh, tell jokes, and be silly with unconditional passion and zest for life. Why do we lose this? Society teaches us that it is inappropriate, inconsiderate, or just silly. But, why let society interfere with the children who know? We’re all children of someone, and just because we age, doesn’t mean that we can influence ourselves and others to have fun.
Have you ever noticed that you have a great lift in your spirit when you’re around children, or when you laugh at something a child does? This happens to me all the time. I see a baby in the store, and I instantly smile. I see a two or three year old pondering simple items in the grocery store, and I laugh and wave at them. These simple gestures of childhood or being around children are extremely influential.
What activities did you participate in as a child that you absolutely loved? Did someone in your life ever put you down for this? If so, let it go now, and try again. Heck, you have a lot more experience under your belt now, so give it another try. If not, awesome.
I recommend watching The Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith. There is an incredible scene in the movie when he is upset, down on life, and makes a comment to his son. He then reflects for a moment about what he said, because it wasn’t very nice, and then he tells his son to never let anyone ever tell him something negative about what he can and cannot do, that no matter what other people say, when you believe in yourself, you can make it happen.
This rang so true for me. We can create a life filled with happiness, and joy, no matter how great or small, and be content with it.
So, keep this phrase next to you, and when life gets you down, look at the phrase, “Wise are the children who know,” and do something playful. Chances are, you’ll also get a lot of people that ask you about it, and you can share with them the inner meaning behind the phrase as well.
