Back to Childhood

“I sit before flowers

hoping they will train me in the art

of opening up

I stand on mountain tops believing

that avalanches will teach me to let go

I know

nothing

but I am here to learn.”

-Shane Koyczan

 

What is it about adulthood that makes us terrified of:

1. Saying “I don’t know”

2. Asking for help when we need it?

With respect to number 1 – we exist to teach and learn from others, yet as we grow older, we seem to be terrified of playing any role except that of the teacher.

Related to that point is number 2 – why are we so afraid to admit when we need help?  It’s as if needing help equates to weakness, and weakness is a condition reserved only for children – not fully grown, mature adults who are supposed to be “in control.”

What’s the worst that could happen if we honestly admitted when we did not, in fact, know exactly what we were talking about?  When did we forget that a major role we play on this planet is to learn, observe, try new things, possibly fail, and try again?

We expect children to ask for help.  We lavish help upon them endlessly, sometimes to the point of disrupting the growth of their independence.  But in adulthood, the opposite seems to happen.  We impose our all-knowing-ness upon anyone who will listen.  We might carry ourselves with a swagger that makes us seem unapproachable.

But what happens when we do need to say the dreaded words…

“I don’t know – can you help me?”

Next time we feel lost, it may help to remember the wisdom of young children – on this earth for only a fraction of the time that we have been – but reaching their arms out for help at the first sign of confusion, fearlessly embracing the learning process.

 

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