The women’s majlis: A child’s vision is not necessarily childish

It's easy to get caught up in striving for life's luxuries, but in the eyes of a child, there are different things worth striving for

The beauty of life is manifested through the lenses and filters we choose, a statement which is clear in a tale retold in the Arabic book Remove your shoes by Yasser Hareb.

Once upon a time, there lived a boy who belonged to a rich family. One day, his father decided to take him to one of the poor villages so he could witness how less-fortunate people lived. His father thought this would help his son appreciate the luxurious life he was leading. When they arrived, the father left his son with a poor host family.

One week passed, and the father returned. On their way back, the father asked him about his experience. “Do you know now how the poor live?” The son replied sincerely: “Yes, father.”

The man was overwhelmed. But his son continued: “The poor people have four dogs and we have only one. In our garden, we have a swimming pool, but the villagers have a river flowing underneath. We have electric lanterns shining in our garden, but they have stars glowing in the sky. We have a patio and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land and they have vast fields that stretch beyond our sight. We buy food from the market and they grow theirs. We have giant walls and radars alerting us to burglary and theft, but they have their neighbours protecting them.” The father was surprised to hear all this and silence descended. “Now I know how poor we are, father,” the son added.

Even though the father intended to show his child a different lifestyle, and reap lessons, in the end the child taught his father what was missing in their lives. Humans always want what they don’t have. While parents strive to teach children all about life, some children can be wiser than their parents. In a child’s world, status quo doesn’t exist.

How many times have you seen your children playing with others in the garden without inspecting their race or background? What kinds of expressions and experiences would children have if they were made to live in a less-developed neighbourhood? How many times would their eyes glow on seeing children going to school, walking with their parents between the busy roads and traffic instead of being dropped off by drivers? How much joy would they get in painting the wall of a nursery of an orphanage, hand-in-hand with the children there? How would they feel about sleeping on a futon instead of a bed?

We develop answers based on our experiences, but through the eyes of a child, everything is possible. In this competitive society, happiness has taken a different route. Most adults are after respect. We think that by driving luxury cars, wearing branded clothes and having connections with powerful people, we elevate our level of respect. Some people are born into rich families, and some to poor; some are born beautiful and some less attractive. But through the eyes of a child, everyone is human.

Asmaa Al Hameli is a features writer at The National.

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