The Only Innocent Phase of Life

Today while returning from gym, early in the morning, I saw school going tots waiting for their school bus to come. Groomed in half sleeve white shirt and chocolaty colored chaddi fully loaded with heavy school bag on their back and king size lunch box in one hand with 600ml Thumps up bottle used as water-bag in other hand, they looked like warriors going to conquer the world, full of energy full of confidence they were ready to face any challenges world put in front of them.

Childhood is the only innocent phase of our life, during rest of the life we just pretend to be innocent. We can not be ourselves once we grow up. We have to wear different masks at different time and at different places.

I remember one indecent from my early childhood, when I was in class 4th or 5th, I came 4th in internal examination while I had expected myself to be in top 3. I was furious about not getting place in top 3 I stood up and in front of whole class I accused my teacher of giving more numbers to her son, studying with me in the same class, and helping him to occupy the 2nd position!!! that was the truth and we all believed, including class teachers of other classes, that only because of her, her son always makes it to top 3. Can I tell, with the same innocence, to my boss that he is promoting the other guy, who is not at all deserving, just because he is relative of someone in top management or he always butters him up ? No absolutely not I just can’t do that… We all are wearing a mask of good son good brother good husband good father good grandson etc etc… when we are at home with our family.

To hide the guilt of not being able to express ourselves, we have invented a very good word called professionalism. Your colleague has done some big blunder but you can’t express your anger freely you have to maintain professionalism you have to act professionally. But just look at the children, if you are playing with them in their team and make a slightest mistake they will blast you like anything. Of course we do express ourselves against someone whom we do not know or who is not directly affecting us in any ways like criticizing articles and blogs on internet or shouting at watchmen or abusing beggar etc ..

Let child enjoy its childhood fully, let’s not be too ambitious with child and burden it with too many things. Its ok if it did not get the gold medal in gymnastics its ok if not selected for quiz competition or got only 80% not 95%. Because one day they will grow up and they will loose this innocence they will loose their freedom of expressing themselves freely and they have to enter the so called real, practical world where they will have to live a life based on terms and conditions dictated by society, their actions and thoughts will be affected by many unknown factors.