Teach them well…

This afternoon I was sitting by the beach, the sun had just sunk behind the mountains and it was peacefully magnificent watching the calmness and vastness of the sea spreading in front of me.

I was peaceful inside, my mind was empty of thoughts and worries and I felt a deep joy for life.

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows

If I fail, if I succeed
At least I'll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity

Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

As I was softly singing to myself, the words touched deep inside, the very core of my existence, as my life flashed before me like a movie…

How could I ever have imagined, as a child, that “this” would be my life!

And then I thought of the children and what we are doing to the young generation, as adults.

They ask kids what they want to do with their life at 15 or 18, when no one can even begin to imagine what their life is going to be about! Not even the wildest imagination can grasp even a tiny portion of it. And yet, kids are expected to know, to plan, to prepare and to strive for that which they have (and cannot have) absolutely no idea about.

I know I could never have foreseen the pathways and turnings of my life. My dreams, needs, joys, beliefs changed through the years, as experience started sinking in. I took chances, I fell and rose again many times; I wanted to live it all, take in as much as I could. I changed and moved on, returned and chose again, over and over again. I could NEVER have imagined. I could never fit it all in a book; my life book! Life is too magnificent and too cunning to be predictable or describable!

We all know this, from our own life. We each started out differently, with different ideas, myths, plans, but then life began, and started taking its course. That’s when most of us start fighting and opposing life, because it did not match our initial planning, preparation and postponing (for the purpose of “living later”).

And yet, most parents still do the same to their children. The education system and the whole of society is certainly wired to push children into something inconceivable, pursuing comfort and knowing, resisting change… a totally fearful way of looking at life and totally unreal. Why do they do that? Why are they conforming into raising unhappy children?

I hadn’t noticed that night was falling and a slight breeze was reminding me that I should head back home. Now, I am HOME, now I know that home is where my heart is.

My heart is filled with a life of marvelous experiences that provided me with ample learning and knowledge, lots of emotions, insights, and wealth beyond describing. Looking back, I wouldn’t change one little detail. Now I know that I especially treasure my mistakes, my failures, my challenges and my faults; especially those!

I had forgotten that the chorus I remembered at the beach and which accompanied me in my joy, belonged to this wonderful song, sung by the angelic voice of Whitney Huston.

Here is the whole version:

The Greatest Love of All

I believe the children are our are future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

Everybody searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone who’d fulfill my needs
A lonely place to be
So I learned to depend on me

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I'll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity

Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

And if by chance, that special place
That you've been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love

Teach them well, and let them lead the way…

http://expandyourperception.com/teach-them-well/