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;”