It is my strong belief that people have forgotten how to truly live. The humdrum of life consumes each and every one of us. We have lost the ability to be inspired by our surroundings. Our familiarity with life causes us to become unseeing of the joys and excitement of life. No matter how often we shrug off the monotony of life it always finds a way to re-ensnare us. Yet, there are stages in life that people seem to know how to truly live.
In the entire world, you will not find any other age group that is so enjoyed as those people who are between the ages of infant to five years old. To them, the world is new. Everything is awe-inspiring. After all, these are the children that have the eyes of adults following every movement or sneeze. Children live simply. They desire to be loved and to be fed. While adults have become callused to the beauty of rain, children are filled with wonder at how water comes from the sky. Children’s eyes sparkle with the question of ‘why’ and the desire to learn about the world around them. Adults, on the other hand, have possibly been through years of schooling and although found education pragmatic do not enjoy it with the childish excitement that characterizes a child’s view of the world.
Time is something that can be used against all of the human population. To a child, an hour is an infinite amount of time. Meanwhile, to an adult, an hour is simply the blink of an eye. Even though, these two age groups live in parallel realms, their relation to time is vastly different. This time difference can be blamed on the concept of responsibility. The child has no responsibility. Yet, the adult forgets to enjoy time. An adult is forever focused on the most efficient way to accomplish the current and next task. Of course, the child does not always enjoy how time drags. I, myself, have an acute memory as a little girl standing outside of my house bored to aggravation. I stood on the curb of my street and lifted my voice to the skies. My shout echoed throughout the street, “SomeBODY, COME play with ME!!!!!” I must have been an awful annoyance to my neighbors.
On the opposite side of the human population, there exists another age group that has through much trial and error learned to live. These are the humans that are often labeled decrepit by their sons and daughters. These old men and women have watched as their active friends and families have succumbed to death. Although a good many of the younger generation believe that this older generation is useless, the young generation could not be more wrong. For with age comes experience. To a certain extent, each must learn through his own trial and error. Yet, the young generation can save themselves much heartache if they untangle themselves from the constant rush of life to sit at the knee of someone that society has long forgotten. After all, the elderly have learned through experience how to truly live. Although they might have lost some of the awestruck wonder of a child through the drudge of life, these old men and women have learned what is most important in life.
Of the entire world, only the very young and very old know how to truly live life. They possess the ability to see life in a unique way. Children are adored and old people are forgotten. This should not be the case in our society. Instead, old people should be respected and cared for even as the children continue to be adored and cared for throughout their lives. We as a society and a people have so much to learn from those who have experienced life before us. Granted, the elderly cannot fully understand the changing times. Yet, the truths they know will be valid for all of eternity. Therefore, live life with the awe of a child and the wisdom of the old.
