Grow up man, be the child

 

 

 

There he was! Basking in the glory of achievement, celebrating with friends. But, as soon as he saw his mother in the crowd, he shouted with joy, “Mamma!”, ran to her and hugged her, oblivious of the crowd around. It was joy all over, for both of them. A few days later, one happened to attend a family function at an acquaintance’s house. As all the grown-ups were chatting with one another, having a hearty laughter, an old woman came to drawing hall from another room in the house. Instantly, the host rose from his chair and asked the woman to go in.

 

“What are you doing Mom? I am chatting with my friends. Please, give us some privacy,” he said. It was joy... over, for her. The difference in both the incidents is pretty clear. In the first instance, the child behaved maturely, and treated the closest bond in the world -- of a child and his mother -- with deserving respect. In the second one, though, the adult behaved childishly. This is the problem today. Adults behave childishly, and children tend to behave like grown-ups. There are many instances one comes across, at home, on street, at gatherings, in society in general. Adults watch television, and ask children in the same room to concentrate on studies. Pretty mature, huh? Children tend to salute policemen out of respect, wherever they see them. But, adults with whom children are riding on two-wheeler or travelling in plush car do not blink while jumping traffic signal, brutally weeding out the sense of respect for law and order from the minds of little ones. At gatherings, when children find out playmates and have fun time while running around and yelling, adults get angry at them. But, the same adults do not feel guilty while vomiting filthiest of abuses loudly, unmindful that their children might imitate it as a ‘social norm’.

 

Children are born with pure souls. They do not know the differences of religion, caste, creed, sect, language, ideology, politics etc. They believe in every God, whatever the name may be. They believe in goodness of people. They believe that every grown-up man or woman around loves them, cares for them. They have that virtue called innocence. At the same time, they are like sponge. They absorb things. That, precisely, starts the process of corrupting them. As children grow up, in age and in height, the innocence and pure beliefs start corroding, thanks to the so-called grown-ups around. By the time they become men and women, these once-children lose goodness.

 

Some people are firm believers in keeping a child alive even when they grow up. However, most of them forget that keeping the child alive within, does not mean behaving childishly. In disturbing times of today, can the grown-ups around the world decide to grow up in true sense and become a child, an embodiment of goodness and purity of soul?