Saturday, January 22, 2011

Jan 22. Be a Kid Again

Tonight I went to the circus with my sister and some friends.  It was really fun, and we all had a good time, but as we watched the elephants I couldn't help but think of the stories I've heard about how they're treated as part of their training.  And despite their very impressive tricks and pageantry tonight, I left feeling a little sad for them. I thought about how different we are when we're young, carefree and absorbed in simple little things, amazed at the world around us.  The older we get, the more we worry, the less we appreciate simple things, and the harder it is to amaze us.  Life beats us into submission until we are like every other captive trick elephant.  I was thinking about some of my friends, how they seem to have things figured out and they are so "adult" and responsible.  I was comparing myself to them (something we should never do) and thinking that maybe I should settle down and grow up.  But then I think of all of the creativity, innocence, and wonder of childhood, and realize I should try to keep that part of me alive as long as I can.

Creativity represents a miraculous coming together of the uninhibited energy of the child with its apparent opposite and enemy, the sense of order imposed on the disciplined adult intelligence.  ~Norman Podhoretz

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