Children
I love children. They are God's gift to mankind. How many of you know that looking at things and the world through children's eyes can actually make you a different and better person? They do not see colours in people. They laugh often and they are sincere because when they don't like you what do they say? They tell you "they don't like you". Then they forget and they are friends again. When you look at a new born, you are seeing a miracle. How many of you have witnessed childbirth? You will feel the fragility of life. I love to smell baby's heads. Yes, I do and I am not suffering form some kind of weird desires.
Baby Heads
A baby's head smells like a durian that is perfectly ripe and just fallen from a durian tree or a freshly baked loaf of bread that has just come off an oven. The baby's head therefore, smells of a new, fresh and precious life that is why we celebrate and rejoice. However, please do not go around sniffing other people's babies if they do not understand or share your ideals and when you are sniffing for a good fruit, do not smell the head. Whether it's a durian or a honeydew, you smell fruits from the backside. When you see someone smelling fruits by their heads at the market place, you know he doesn't get it. He's probably a noob trying to look cool. When you grow up and do things the way of the world you lose your innocence and you get smelly heads. Saddam Hussein or some others who you consider rogues were at one time cute adorable babies too.
Therefore, it is in our interest that we take very good care of all children and impart all the right values so that they do not grow up to be monsters but it is still easier said than done. The least you could do for them are the right things. Over-protection can be bad for the child too. How often do you hear parents shouting at their children: "Don't run, you may fall" which is quit funny because children will run and fall regardless. We have this tendency to learn things through doing. You can tell a child not to touch a hot kettle a hundred times and yet the only time he truly learns is when he touches it and got scalded but some older adults do that too let alone children. They could even jump from an oven into a frying pan. A lifetime is too short for us to make all the mistakes ourselves so it might be a good idea to learn from other people's mistakes.
Therefore, it is in our interest that we take very good care of all children and impart all the right values so that they do not grow up to be monsters but it is still easier said than done. The least you could do for them are the right things. Over-protection can be bad for the child too. How often do you hear parents shouting at their children: "Don't run, you may fall" which is quit funny because children will run and fall regardless. We have this tendency to learn things through doing. You can tell a child not to touch a hot kettle a hundred times and yet the only time he truly learns is when he touches it and got scalded but some older adults do that too let alone children. They could even jump from an oven into a frying pan. A lifetime is too short for us to make all the mistakes ourselves so it might be a good idea to learn from other people's mistakes.
All Children Are Special
All children are special regardless of their condition or ability and everyone is a winner. He or she made the cut when 9,999,999 million sperm cells raced to be number one to the ovary. We should all be given an Olympic medal. I have won some trophies and awards in life but the below was probably one of the best being "The HanzBar" Annual Awards for "Sexiest Person Alive". You see, unlike Zouk or at Ibiza in Spain, not everyone gets to the Hanzbar which is special in exclusivity. It is a very unique place with a host who has the mostest. At first I was disappointed not to have won a "Lifetime Achievement Award" but they say winning this means you are old and going towards the sunset. I was not sure if it were a taunt but I accepted it in the same spirit as it was given. Every time, when I feel a little down, I will look at it and say "C'mon I have to be role model". Thanks to Hanzie! for keeping me strong. I was quite a hopeless child at times and sometimes full of potential. I am still a child, a bigger one so you and I are all special too.
Alright, before Narcissism kicks in, let's go back to children. Cristiano Ronaldo could find time to make one in the USA with a waitress which finally costs him $21 million for a night's fling. Not bad for a night's sleep over. It's like making 3-in-1 coffee, open the packet, pour out the powder in a cup, add water, stir and bingo! In Western countries they can cohabit and even have children without getting married. The dictionary described children born of unwed parents as bastards.
Sometimes, innocent babies and children have no choice. They can't ask for certain circumstances from where they are to be born, to which family and so on. Some were born out of unfortunate circumstances. By and large, people do have a choice how their children should be born. These days, they could even decide how (the method), when (the date) and which type (the sex). It isn't quite natural at this end of the spectrum.
Sometimes, innocent babies and children have no choice. They can't ask for certain circumstances from where they are to be born, to which family and so on. Some were born out of unfortunate circumstances. By and large, people do have a choice how their children should be born. These days, they could even decide how (the method), when (the date) and which type (the sex). It isn't quite natural at this end of the spectrum.
All children have different and unique talents and abilities and they are here to remind us of our responsibilities and teach us to be a better person. Some folks get irritated by a baby's cry or children's whining but when they become parents they feel a different heartbeat. A delicate and fragile life has been placed upon your hands to nurture. Our love for children should then be unconditional regardless of what grades they do in school or how they might turn out and it is not just about our own children. If you love your own children, you must love other children too. How can we not? Remember when you were young, bullied, down and lonely maybe even mistreated and defenceless? Don't you wish for something better? I want you to listen to Freddy Aguilar's Anak which means Child:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4cUBiT51-w&feature=related (original version for Filipino friends)
A Childhood Incident Remembered
This incident during childhood has been vividly playing in my mind on several occasions at different stages in my life. At each stage I saw a different meaning and response. A close friend and I (maybe we were 12 or 13) were together one evening chit-chatting. The provision shops nearby which were already closed would park their delivery bicycles outside. As we chatted for awhile, we each subconsciously just sat on those parked bicycles and continued with our conversation. Suddenly, without warning, an adult who is the owner came over us and using his knuckle hit our heads once each and in a threatening manner gave us a scolding. We were shocked and stunned with no time to react, he was much bigger than us and in a way we may be wrong.
Revenge did enter my mind later because I was not able to accept what he had done. I told myself when I grow bigger and if he were dare to touch me, I would break his finger and rap his knuckles and show him whose knuckles were bigger and harder. Now this is seething anger and revenge like desserts is best served cold.
Revenge did enter my mind later because I was not able to accept what he had done. I told myself when I grow bigger and if he were dare to touch me, I would break his finger and rap his knuckles and show him whose knuckles were bigger and harder. Now this is seething anger and revenge like desserts is best served cold.
Later, I would wonder if he would do the same thing to his own children. Maybe and that would be unfortunate. Maybe not and probably he would only do so to other children and to others who were smaller than him and felt less powerful or were merely weaker or smaller. Maybe his head was banged a hundred times by those bigger than him. Isn't this how some people treat others even if all were adults? This is so human-natured. When a more powerful or victorious army captured POW they tortured them.
When someone once suffered at work at the hands of a sadistic boss, he is capable of dishing out the same because his reasoning is I have been through this so why can't you instead of seeing the virtue of what I have suffered was wrong and the buck stops here and it cannot be repeated. People who have never experienced love, loved and been loved may find it hard to accept love. You hug them, say nice things to them, show them love and they cringed. To them, it's like coming straight into the bright sunlight from complete darkness, you get dazed.
Folks who feel insecure and lack confidence will talk loudly or are aggressive because they are devoid of a certain knowledge. Gandhi said "an eye for an eye and the whole world will go blind." We may have been born and grew up under different circumstances and background and these do influence who we become but ultimately, we are responsible for who we become. We are all capable of doing something that gives us or others a heartache or regret for the rest of our lives. So attitude is everything. Take charge!
When someone once suffered at work at the hands of a sadistic boss, he is capable of dishing out the same because his reasoning is I have been through this so why can't you instead of seeing the virtue of what I have suffered was wrong and the buck stops here and it cannot be repeated. People who have never experienced love, loved and been loved may find it hard to accept love. You hug them, say nice things to them, show them love and they cringed. To them, it's like coming straight into the bright sunlight from complete darkness, you get dazed.
Folks who feel insecure and lack confidence will talk loudly or are aggressive because they are devoid of a certain knowledge. Gandhi said "an eye for an eye and the whole world will go blind." We may have been born and grew up under different circumstances and background and these do influence who we become but ultimately, we are responsible for who we become. We are all capable of doing something that gives us or others a heartache or regret for the rest of our lives. So attitude is everything. Take charge!
The Future
Children are the future of the world. Our youths are the future of the nation and the world. Future leaders, future inventors, future thinkers or future sportsmen. It does not matter if your children will be what you want them to be but more importantly, they must be themselves. They are growing up in a very different world to ours just like ours to our parents. What we thought our parents didn't understand about us, the same applies here and because people do not often do what they are told, they will do what we do. Role models are needed to carry on our legacy. Let me share with you White Lion's take in this lovely song "When The Children Cry":
Your children need not be a star to be on your show. Here's Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. - You don't Have To Be A Star:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nb9jJg_wIU
All children are sweet and we need to strike a balance of protecting them and yet giving them personal space to grow. After all, we turned out quite okay didn't we? Ok, I speak for myself, you do your own review. Have a look at Axl Rose and Slash of Guns N Roses strutting their stuff with "Sweet Child of Mine".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-AYAv0IoWI
I hope many of us still have the child in us so that we can see things with some sweet innocence and not take all things too seriously all the time. Let's go on the Merry-Go-Round of life and not be tired and each time your horse pulls around, I see the same face albeit an aging one. It is okay to age, it is nature. Just put on a smile!
Life as in golf, play as it lies.
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