"When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."Your turn: I've never understood why children seem to lose that sense of wide-eyed curiosity and goodness when they become adults. For too many of us, life seems to beat it out of us, and I'm not entirely sure why. Do we really need to "grow up"?
C. S. Lewis
Friday, March 25, 2011
QOTD #6 - On perpetual childhood
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6 comments:
To some extent, yes we need to grow up. Paying the bills, keeping food on the table and raising a family require a certain degree of adulthood. But that doesn't mean you have to completely lose your childishness. One of the things I love about teaching is that at times it pays to be a kid again. I've been known to put snow down the backs of students sleeping in my class, fill my classroom with a fog machine (set the fire alarm off when I opened the door to clear it out and it all got sucked into the hall). But at the same time, if I didn't know when to reign it in and say "Ok, time to get to work", I'd end up unemployed.
I agree with Max's comment and is necessary, but it's the glow within our hearts and soul which still shall play. I like to think that I have that same wide eyed thrill as I did growing up....beginning with each new day, not to mention all the things within my life!
I think we lose that wide eye wonder/curiosity when we get hurt or disappointed... Call me stupid, but, for a while I thought I was a good judge of character, I guess I was lucky years ago that when someone said something, they truly meant it.. Nowadays, I take what some say w/a grain of salt.. I have my guard up...When u give your trust to someone and then they take advantage of it, that is when u lose it... It happens in adulthood, not just childhood.
Yes and no.
In order to be the best parents we can be, we have to remember what it was like as a kid.
Some people grow up too much.
I suppose I'd lean toward semantics and say that one can maintain a childlike perspective while staking a claim on maturity.
Maybe that's why I'm going ice climbing on frozen waterfalls this weekend (after I finish out the work week that pays my bills).
There's a wide-eyed sense of wonder inherent to all things new, unexplored. We grow stale only if we refuse to push the edges of the comfort envelope a little and challenge ourselves to simply BE.
Writing and photography allow us to see the world through the lens of our child wonder. Allowing ourselves to get excited about the ordinary little miracles helps tremendously too. A boy, we could use all the help we can get to keep our adult side from tipping over during those serious moments in life.
ps. I posted a piece on the word "delight" last night. It was the topic of a lunch and learn I attended yesterday at church. The word to me exudes youth/discovery/smiles. Hope you enjoy it.
d.
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