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Thursday, 8 November 2012

The Joys of Childhood, The Sorrows of Adulthood (III)



  ...messy, violent and horrible place fraught with untold economic hardships, severe hunger, wicked and devilish crimes, frequent incomprehensible and bizarre death cases, unnecessary civil and international wars, and to crown it all, uncontrollable natural disasters that affect thousands and thousands every year.

Life becomes troubling and unsettling to sentient beings especially the adult. Man cannot escape these troubles for he faces them in every corner of the global village. They are poured on him. He is greeted with news of nauseating murder or other horrible crimes when he switches on the television or radio early in the morning. When he buys a newspaper, his eyes cannot miss the incessant reports of terrifying armed robbery, unnecessary kidnappings, shameful rape, gruesome murder, shocking fraud, and institutional corruption.

Can the adult really have rest? Those who have the wherewithal to even take a vacation become restless and bored after few days session of fun and pleasure. The sorrows of the adult are indeed many. Here, they begin to realize the truthfulness of the words of Job when he said “Man, born of woman, is short-lived and glutted with agitation” (Job 14:1).

But the problem of the adult is never the problem of the child. Indeed, the child is insulated from grief resulting from global problems that constantly afflict the adult. When there are wars and deaths, the child eats serenely. When there are reports of murder, rape, and armed robbery, the child plays peacefully. When unfavorable economic conditions forces parents out of work, the child eats and plays with no angst.

No wonder the adult begins to envy the child. They begin to wish if they could go back into childhood to escape the numerous problems presented by adulthood. But, it is just not possible. Probably, it sounds like one of the impossibilities that man’s advancement in knowledge and technology cannot overcome.

Next time you meet a child, kindly contribute to his/her happiness for it won’t last. It won’t take long for him to grow into adulthood to grapple and struggle with many woes. Give him food if he is hungry. Take him to hospital if he is sick. Play with him if he is sad. Next time you meet a child whisper into his ears “Enjoy your Paradise. Enjoy it to the full for it won’t last”

Yes, childhood is indeed a paradise, relatively. Adulthood is hell, certainly. 



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