Today I sat in my car, on my way home from a Christmas children's party at my dad's hotel. Realizing that my brother was in fact no longer a child, I had to think about the past few years, and wonder why every year seemed to be more of a decline in terms of quality at these events. The thing is, this year, there were two Wiis set up, one with Guitar Hero, and the other with Wii Sports Resort. I struggled with the realization that these kids were spoiled with technology. My brother, having been raised by my parents, refused to go because he thought it was a waste of time. I guess my brother and I grew up without worrying about, or needing, shiny things. A little earlier today, a song came on the radio called "My Grown-up Christmas List" which reminded me about something I'd written about a few years ago. I don't know where it is right now, but somewhere on the internet is a reminder about the simple meaning of Christmas as an adult. When I listened to "My Grown-up Christmas List" today, the words "As children we believe/ the grandest sight to see/ was something lovely wrapped beneath our tree" struck me the most. The reason for this is that while I was at the party today, I noticed so many kids who were excited about having something under their trees, something they could open and play with, and something of an opportunity to discover a new game, a new shape, a new experience.
Going backwards, I remember a few things I did in high school; one of those experiences led me to have a talk with a few people from Free the Children. I'm also reminded of the guest lecture that Dr. Orbinski of Dignitas International gave at UTSC, and the book that I received during that talk. I am fortunate enough to have grown up with an amazing education system and academic background, and one of the results of my academic history is the experiences that people have shared with me, that have taken me around the world through another person's story. From the perspective of Free the Children, and from Dr. Orbinski's stories, I have learned so much about the children who don't have anything, and yet how simple and happy they can be in the toughest situations. More often than not, it is our inaction as citizens of the first world that they do not have, but perhaps by their simple happiness, and the fact that they don't complain, because they can't, is enough to give them at least a chance to speak for themselves, if not giving them a chance to feel comfortable/safe. My hope is that every child has a lap to sit on where they can feel safe and loved. Even though this is most likely not going to be the case, I still have hope.
I've decided that on Sunday nights when I update, I'll set up a kind of question which will focus on the theme for the week; just leave a comment in the box below. And don't forget to follow this blog for frequent updates!
Question of the Week:
"They are the 'king'…the children who will grow up to bear Kohona upon their shoulders." – Nara Shikamaru (Naruto)
Children are our future and the ones whose future we need to protect. To what extent would you say we needed to act in order to protect their future? What would you do to make sure their future was bearable?
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