….to the children? I heard a song on the radio this week, by this very title, and several hours later I became consciously aware of the lyrics replaying in my mind. The message was pure and simple, not unlike a child, and it got me to thinking.

Why can’t  we see the world through the eyes of our children? We are all born with a clean slate; innocence, love, kindness – these are every bit as accessible as to us as corruption, hate and indifference, so why can’t they prevail? Or rather, why don’t they?

Children are oblivious to race, colour, ethnicity, nor do they care. Another child is someone new to play with; a friend, first, because they do not know judgement. Not yet. They learn judgement, and hate, and greed, over a lifetime, from a society that too often breeds it. We are all sponges, absorbing our life experiences and processing the knowledge the way we are taught and depending on the environment in which we are raised, that teaching can often be negative, or even violent.

If a child sees another cry or hurt, they offer unabashed support. If they are victims of hurt their innocent cries can bring even the most hardened criminal to their knees. In short, they are an open book of emotions, pure and simple love. A child will never intentionally hurt another because they are born with the instinct to love their fellow man. It is life experiences that fashion their adult mindset and society plays a key role in this development.

Society today is overwrought, stressed, frustrated; just plain exhausted, and we need to reconnect to our inner child to reclaim our innocence. Sounds easier than it is because truth told, this kind of introspection requires a strong discipline, one many of us have long buried under the toils of living in an ego-driven and material world. The news is filled with acts of violence. Politics is riddled with corruption, and world leaders battle for power, not because it’s good for their people, more because it feeds their ego. Weapons of mass destruction dangle dangerously at the fingertips of those whose minds have seriously shifted priorities, and television is flooded with images of refugees and worldwide destitution. (Maybe I’m naïve, but I will never, EVER, understand the wisdom of war)  Is this the world our creator intended? No, we did this. (shame on us)

We need to restore balance because balance in our lives will restore a purpose in society, and a purpose in society will in turn restore unity, and unity will ultimately bring peace. We need to step away from the aspects of our life that are self-serving or power driven – they simply drain our energy and serve no purpose to mankind. We need to re-evaluate our personal priorities and focus on the things that bring us satisfaction and joy, pure joy…the kind you see on the innocent face of a child.

I would urge you to listen to the song “Why don’t we listen to the children” by Isla Grant, but more importantly, listen to the children because we have much to learn from them,,,,,,,,,,, and so much more to gain. Peace.