Child is the Father of Man

I am instilled with nostalgia and the childhood memories of my school teacher uttering these words by William Wordsworth become afresh in my mind. My understanding was in its nascent stage to contemplate the subtle and subterranean meaning that these words carry. Today when I ponder on these words, they make more sense as I reflect on my life journey from a child to a more mature human being.

A child is the treasure of innocence, joy, cheer, simplicity, candidness and is free from any notion of hatred, jealousy and selfishness. A child is the symbol of Purity. The actions of a child are governed by selfless motives. It is in the childhood that the cultivation of values, morals and culture takes place. A child is like a molten metal which can be caste into any shape. The way a potter gives shape to clay, a child can be nurtured in the desired manner. Whatever, the sapling imbibes in the blossoming stage of its life becomes the base of its growth and built in the days to come. It is these values, morals and culture that determine the character and the personality of an individual. Whatever, is blend within us during our childhood is persistent and we carry it with us for our entire life. Gandhiji in his book, “My Experiments with Truth” ascertains this fact and explains how his growing as a child had an impact in his later life as an adult. There is this child in every human being and this is what keeps us going. Several of our actions and decisions are governed by this child within us. The sheer determination and perseverance of Abraham Lincoln made him the President of the United States of America. On the contrary, Mussolini went on to become the dictator of Italy and plunged the world in the World War. Their two varied personalities can be attributed to their childhood. While Lincoln’s was a childhood nurtured through learning, grit, values and perseverance, Mussolini had a troubled childhood. It is the childhood which thus moulds the future of an individual.

We would always like to do things we did as a child. Our thought process is influenced by our childhood. The creativity within us is the ‘Child’ effect. ‘Child’ is what brings life into an individual. It is the ‘Child’ which makes life more meaningful and lively. It is our childhood which shapes our adulthood. It is this Child which lays the foundation of an individual.

That’s what Wordsworth conveys when he says,

“My heart leaps up when I behold
A Rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the man;”      

Honour The Trust

I had almost stopped writing and had virtually forgotten about my blog after I landed up for my management education and was amidst loads of assignments, presentations, case studies, events and guest lectures. I thank my very dear friend “@SIIB” for coaxing me to write and I am once again convinced about the factuality of my last article on “friends”.

There would have been situations in each of our lives where in we feel our trust has been shaken and we have been taken for a toss. As a child, I used to ask my mom,”Maa, Y do we trust people?” and with an assuring smile my mom used to reply, “The world survives on trust and faith. Whom can we rest our faith on, if not on our fellow human beings and specially our near and dear ones?” These words have served as my guidelines in the formative years of my life and even today. Over the years, however I have realized how easy it is for “certain” people to disrespect your trust for whatever the reason may be. But then life comes about as a full circle and you are made to taste your own recipe someday. So a word of caution to all such people.

Our act not only displays our ethics, virtues and morals but also our upbringing and our mettle. One thing or virtue which sets you apart from the crowd is the way you nurture someone’s trust and “honour” it. You tend to build lifetime relations with such people or organizations. More you treat this sapling of trust with water of care and confidence; more will be the benefits that you will reap out of it. However, if you disrespect someone’s trust, life will take its own course of action. Someone’s trust in you instills a feeling of “responsibility” in you and a sense of “faith” in the person resting his/her trust in you. In whatever part of the world we are, whichever place we are, rules of the game remain the same. At home, your family rests their trust in you, at work place it’s the organization and especially your boss resting his trust in you, in social circle it’s your friends who put their faith in you. And one must honour their Trust. There’s another facet to it and that is “Commitment”. The equation of trust is balanced by commitment from your end. If you default on your commitment, the thread of trust breaks and your relations suffer because it is not that everybody will rest their trust in you but only the ones close to you. In today’s world, people believe in working relations and so trust is almost transient. But then whoever Trusts you – may it be you as a person, as a friend, your abilities and capabilities; try to live up to that trust. Otherwise not only your relations suffer but also your image.

I still abide by what I was taught as a child; have reaped benefits, learnt lessons of life, have got to know different types of people and most importantly MYSELF. Simply said, “Honour the Trust someone rests in You” because that not only makes you a good individual and a great human being but also gives you a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment within.