When do we lose our childhood curiosity? And our childhood sense of wonder?
Kids ask a lot of questions, and in the moment it can be irritating to be asked repeatedly: “Why? Why? Why?” until we finally snap and reply “Because I said so”. Or in today’s environment, “Because Dr. Fauci said so”.
And in addition to the never-ending why, kids can also ask the occasional true, but irritating, question. A grandson recently asked: “Pa, you’re kind of fat – why?”
A complicated reply involving IPAs, gravity, BMI, eating foods that begin with the letter L, and excessive government regulation, was enough to glaze his eyes over, and he moved on to his next offendee. But before he left, he encouraged me to “grow a couple of inches and it will be fine”, which made sense. So now, I check my height each morning instead of stepping on the scale.
Unfortunately, the pencil mark I’m making on the wall hasn’t moved yet…
As our children aged, they began to ask very different questions:
When they received their first paycheck, I anticipated the “Where did all my money go?” phone call.
Upon getting their drivers license: “Why do we all have to share a car?”
When their report cards arrived: “What will I ever do with math anyway?’
But I never had a child ask a follow-up question from “The Talk”.
Unfortunately, as we lose our childhood curiosity, we tend to settle for the first answer, and don’t ask the “next question”. Perhaps we are brain dulled by listening to teachers, bosses, and experts. Or perhaps we’re too busy checking our phones.
But it occurs to me that our partisan and cultural divide is in large part the result of not asking that “next question”, forgetting the why, why, why routine, and settling for the first answer.
Particularly if that first answer is consistent with what we already believe.
It’s why we watch the channels and read the news feeds that pander to our beliefs, as opposed to seeking to understand.
Unfortunately, the media have become like people – with ‘news articles’ that are essentially personal opinion columns, citing ‘unnamed sources’, making one wonder if their editors are tied up in the next room (Cough: NY Times).
Historically, Americans have been a very skeptical lot, though we took the Statue of Liberty at face value, not noticing when thousands of Frenchmen poured out once it got dark. A skeptical fisherman ate the first oyster, but he made his dog try it first. And fortunately, his dog recommended he try it with cocktail sauce.
But there might be hope for our national skepticism deficit, as the booster eligibility decisions and communication(s) are making skepticism – and complete confusion – cool again…
As a result, it may shake our trust in ‘experts’ (Old Man Rant: Experts! Shakes fist!). What is an expert anyway? And how do you become one?
Imagine if the expert who told us not to feed our children peanut butter had been met with skepticism – I could bring a PB&J on a flight, Reese’s PB Cups wouldn’t have to be smuggled into this country, and Mr. Peanut could attend children’s parties again.
Or the expert who said we needed a North and South Dakota? A bison would have never been elected to Congress, Canada would be that much closer, and General Custer would still be alive…
Or the expert who said seat belts were a good idea! Well, I guess they get one right every now and then.
But perhaps the most unfortunate loss is our childhood sense of wonder.
As kids discover the world, and all it offers, they are amazed, impressed, joyful – – childlike.
Imagine if we could find that within ourselves again…
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TO ENHANCE YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THIS POST, PAIR IT WITH THE FOLLOWING SONGS:
In Search of a rose The Waterboys
“Where will I wander and wonder?
Nobody knows, But wherever I’m a-going I’ll go
In search of a rose
Whatever the will of the weather, And whether it shines or snows
Wherever I’m a-going I’ll go
In search of a rose
I’ll savour the softness of summer
I’ll wrap up when winter blows
And wherever I’m a-going I’ll go
In search of a rose”
A Life of Sundays The Waterboys
“Hold me before I go under, Hear me before I drown
Sharpen your sense of wonder, Listen to what I`ve found
The same thing and it always was, It struck me sad and strange
All that ever stays the same is Change
And I dreamed I wandered, Wayward as a restless wave spanning from here to yonder
Most spectacularly saved, Dream and life entwined
The old day cracks and crumbles, And it`s fine
To be in your company, Funny to be in your day
A miracle just to be with you, Glad to be going your way
Were these unfolding plans designed or drawn by mortal hands? Never in a Life of Sundays, Would I have seen me here”
Lightness Death Cab for Cutie
“Your heart is a river, That flows from your chest through every organ
Your brain is the dam, And I am the fish
Who can’t reach the core Ivory lines lead…
Oh, instincts are misleading
You shouldn’t think what you’re feeling
They don’t tell you what you know you should want”
Blame It on Cain Elvis Costello
“Once upon a time, I had a little money
Government burglars took it long before I could mail it to you
Still you are the only one
Now, I can’t let it slip away
So, if the man with the ticker tape, Tries to take it
Well, this is what I’m gonna say
Blame it on Cain,Don’t blame it on me
Oh, oh, oh, it’s nobody’s fault, But we need somebody to burn”
The Great Beyond REM
“Why can’t we pantomime, Just close our eyes
And sleep sweet dreams, Me and you with wings on our feet
I’m breaking through, I’m bending spoons
I’m keeping flowers in full bloom
I’m looking for answers, From the great beyond
I want the hummingbirds, The dancing bears
Sweetest dreams of you
I look into the stars, I look into the moon I’m looking for Answers from the great beyond”