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Teacher...

As I read ‘Like the Flowing River’, by Paulo Coelho, I came across this chapter where he talks of his acquaintance’s experience with handling questions children have in their minds. Questions that often go unasked and if asked… unanswered by the more “learned and experienced” adults. The following are some questions mentioned:
§ What does God mean?
§ Where do we go after we die?
§ Why are we all born if we have to die in the end?
§ Why are there poor and ill people?
§ Why did God create mosquitoes and flies?
§ Who named different colours?
§ Why isn’t our guardian angel beside us when we are sad?
§ Who invented war and happiness?
§ If God is in heaven, and my mother is there too because she died, then how come He is alive?

It melts my heart to read these questions and to think about the numerous little doubts in the curious minds of the young. Their innocence is as lucid as the glistening of pebbles in a shallow brook by a streak of sunlight, but their curiosity that very obscure. It requires a teacher or, shall I say, a mentor of a very dedicated nature to understand this ingenuousness in them and with patience to clarify the questions that arise in their little minds.
Often we brush off these questions aside saying “how cute…” or “kids always have questions”… is it because we feel these are trivial ridiculous questions asked out of their childishness or is it because we are reminded of our ignorance towards the subtle side of life…?
Innocence is a virtue that’s hard to preserve with age, yet is one of the most important of virtues that lead us to happiness. We all want to be happy in life yet are ready to forego our innocence and become the so called intelligent and vigilant group of adults. Coelho says (in his book ‘By the River Piedra I sat down and wept’) there is a little child in all of us who yearns to come out and see world through his eyes but we have shrouded his eyes filled with innocence by the mask of adulthood sombreness. He sees the little joys of life yet we don’t see through his eyes. True are the words of the wise… ‘Happiness is not something to be searched for, it has to be achieved’.

Today something has kindled within me… a voice filled with inspiration (or a sign…) that tells me to become a teacher… a mentor for those filled with innocence just the way God parcelled them out to our beautiful world… a teacher (in the true sense of the word) for little children… wonder where this spark would take me… may be I found an ultimate goal to my living…or may be something to live for …




Gouri B Nair
23rd May, 2008
8:27pm

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