"No matter how young they are, children are deeply concerned with so-called eternal questions: Who created the world? Who made the earth, the sky, people, animals? ...Children think about and ponder such matters as justice, the purpose of life, the why of suffering. . . They are bewildered and frightened by death. They cannot accept the fact that the strong should rule the weak.
Many grownups have made up their minds that …one should accept the facts as they are. But the child is often a philosopher and a seeker of God." ~Isaac Bashevis Singer (as quoted from 'Imagining The Sacred: Spiritual Themes in Children's Media')
Immediately after reading this quote my mind instantly went to one of my favourite passages of scripture that I never fully understood.
Matt. 18: 1-5
At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said,Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever shall receive one such little child in my name receives me.
Unless we become like a child. Unless we realise that growing older doesn't stop the world from producing new mysteries in our lives that we will have to wrestle with. Unless we accept that we'll never have it all figured out. Unless we question what others accept as the norm.
I always like to think of children as wide eyed 'wonderers'. The plain becomes the intricate.
Why does this sense of wonder and contentment become absent in adults? Why is imagination frowned upon? Why is maturity paired with an attitude that exudes a false sense of wisdom?
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
And it's children that tend not to care how foolish they might look.
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