Stop behaving like child? This is so childish...This is such a child like attitude...Grow Up...Behave...There are an inexhaustible list of phrases that we use when an adult does not behave as per the etiquette prescribed for an adult. Any insignificant breach of this norms entitled to an adjective called Childish or mistakenly Childlike. Yesterday, When I was playing with my seven months old son, my wife entitled me with same adjectives. “you are so childish and become completely child like when you play with our son”.
Embarrassed with her remarks, I started introspecting and retrospecting myself and my behavior. I started thinking about these two words, CHILDISH and CHILDLIKE. Childish word generally use for person who behave with immaturity, behave irresponsibly, careless or do something suited to child. This leads to another important question how does child behave?
I started observing my son and noticing his minute behavior and I learnt few important lessons of my life and miraculously witnessed the unfolding of the mystery of life and my son unknowingly taught me how to live life.
I see my son gets so cheerful when he sees other kids. His behavior towards other kid, whom he doesn’t even know, is like friend forever. His behavior towards other kid and the feeling of joy doesn’t get affected by the color, shape, ethnicity, cultural labels, religion of other kid and he seems totally impervious to any such compartmentalized life that we all live with. With his little intellectual capacity, he may not understand the meaning of such words or such words do not have any existence in his life as small kid. Such compartmentalized life has not given us anything constructive motive so far. Influence of such words on adults with developed intellectual capacity is far more pronounced and disastrous but we still pursue that. Childish, isn’t it?
He started playing with them and teaches me how accommodating he is. How many times in my life, I accommodate other people ignoring their skin color, religion, ethnic identity or even what side of border he grew up. We live in diversity, work in diversity and in fact diversity has become important concept of life. But, We live our life with conditioned mind and identify, differentiate, or sometime discriminate other with such identity, knowingly or unknowingly but we all do or have done.
I see my son to be so nonjudgmental, all loving, all accommodating, incapable of placing label or anyone or anything, all accepting when he plays with other kids. While we as an adult have completely opposite traits to lead our life. We live our life with so many judgmental thoughts and continuously placing label on other person. Our respect or judgments for others is directly related to how many scholastic diploma one has, how much wealth one has accumulated, how much strength one has, what is his intellectual capacity, how beautiful one looks etc. And we all forget or knowingly ignore the very essence of human life. Is it childish or childlike behavior?
I see my son playing with toys. I observe some unwavering affection for some specific toy. While playing, I put that toy little away from him so that he can try to grab it and hence learn little crawling. I see him trying so hard unless he get that toy without thinking his physical capacity or skills. I learn the perseverance while ignoring the disability. We all know about perseverance and have applied in our life or have been forced to apply them. But, how many time, we use so called disability as scapegoat.
I see my son so inquisitive when i give him new things. He sees it, and try to understands it with his limited capability and understanding. But Important aspect to notice here is the inquisitiveness of kid. Can we relate this unique capacity with great scientist and geniuses. They all have this childlike inquisitiveness in them and perseverance to explore any given subject without thought of failure or being criticized.
I realize why I / we as an adult are so empty and small kids are so full. A very simple reason is that, kids behave childlike and they are nonjudgemental, all loving, all accommodating, incapable of placing label or anyone or anything, all accepting and above all pure and loving . I strongly believe that we all have such child inside but we afraid to take it out.
I guess, I got the answer. I was really childish but certainly can be a childlike. Truly, My son is my teacher today. Love you Ayan.
Mihir
April 30th 2011 @ 11: 54 PM.
