by Angela Baze

Created on: January 11, 2010

Right and wrong is kind of a point of view.  We know this.  Children are new to the world and most of them haven't quite gotten around to seeing all that's so bad in the world, feeling hurt by the blunt reality of the place around them... But, really, you see adults going on their way, paying no mind to what's going on around them, simply because they're so absorbed in their own lives to see what's happening in the lives of random strangers.

I don't mean anything bad by that, because everyone needs to focus on their lives, to improve them, but the world honestly would be a better place if more people cared.  You can see a child, happily playing with his or her toys, minding their own business, but if something happens to a friend or even a stranger, they're more than willing to run to them and help them in whatever ways they can.  They go straight to the person, try to figure out what's wrong, get an adult to help or whatever it may be.  Those children are still willing to give that unconditional caring and love to someone they don't even have to know.

I suppose it's attributed to those children not knowing what happens when they get attached to someone.  I can understand how adults generally don't want to put themselves in another position to be needed or relied on, how they don't want to put themselves out there enough to help someone else.  I don't mean that it isn't good for them to drop their change into the hands of a person on the street, or that it's not good for them to support charities and so on, but a lot of people don't even want to do that, much less do more.  Children actively put themselves out there to help, not even giving a thought to the possible consequences to themselves for those actions.  It simply doesn't concern them.  Making a friend is good because they're a friend, in the eyes and mind of a child.

Beyond that, a child's eyes are more unbiased and clear.  Rarely is a child's mind full of more suspicion than an adult's.  Again, because they haven't really had the life experience to worry much about what another human being might do to hurt them or cheat them.  They're simply trusting of people.  This isn't always a good thing, of course, but imagine what the world would be like if fewer people had it in their minds to trust, rather than just hope to be trusted.  Children are willing to put forth what they have because they feel they can trust the other person to do the same.  It could be called ignorance by those pessimistic people, but I don't find it wrong to have some faith in people.

I believe that children can teach adults a little more on how to trust, how to care, how to simply believe in another person.  It IS understandable how most adults don't want to do that, out of that fear of being cheated out of something, but if more adults could see the lessons a child can teach, maybe more adults could act on it, making it easier to trust one another.  It's sort of a crazy dream, but... What if?

Learn more about this author, Angela Baze.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.