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Children's Compassion

© https://www.rjhendricksphotography.com/ - One of Kathy's favorite photos of her son helping his sister across a mountain stream.
© https://www.rjhendricksphotography.com/ - One of Kathy's favorite photos of her son helping his sister across a mountain stream.

By Kathy Hendricks


I have been given a welcome amount of inspiration lately from children. While visiting on an out-of-town visit to a local  park, I watched and waited for my grandchildren at one of the most awesome playgrounds I have ever seen. The scenes around me were so endearing. A pair of older girls helped smaller children climb onto and then swing outward on a mini-zipline. A brother helped his younger sibling navigate his way off of a climbing apparatus. A young boy asked my son-in-law if he could pet his dog; then said thank-you afterwards.

 

A week later I conversed with an assistant as I checked in for a mammogram. She told me how her seven-year-old daughter asked to buy flowers to place on the graves of those who didn’t have any at a nearby cemetery. They found an area reserved for infants, which is where her daughter chose to place the flowers.

 

Adi, an eight-year-old girl in our town, has raised thousands of dollars for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Center through charity walks, bake sales, and cookie stands. She started this initiative when she was five! Her goal is to reach $1 million.

 

Given all of the physical and verbal violence that dominates the news these days, I wonder why adults can’t behave a bit more like these children. This may sound sentimental and a bit naïve as I am all too aware that children can also be terribly cruel. I know several people who are still recovering from the trauma of extreme bullying as children. Even so, my memories of teaching young children contain far more gestures of kindness and generosity than vindictiveness or cruelty. Their capacity for empathy is something that adults should not only emulate but also protect and cherish. With it comes great inspiration as well as the potential for an enormous impact on our individual and collective consciences. Adi’s efforts are spurred by her desire to help children diagnosed with and treated for cancer. The flowers placed by a little girl on the graves of babies have since withered but the compassion with which she placed them still blooms. Children remind me that it doesn’t take extraordinary effort to extend a helping hand or say a simple thank-you.



Response

by Barbara Anne Radtke

 

Kathy, thanks for bringing these stories to our blog. What a joy! The chilling realization, though, is that many of us unlearn compassion somewhere on the journey to adulthood. As adults, we need to be reminded about or relearn it.  What has taken the place of our youthful compassion and empathy?  Self-interest?  Self-concern? Trying to meet our own life’s challenges with efficiency and grace? Perhaps we just need to learn again to see those around us who need a helping hand or an encouraging word. Further cause for concern is that Sherry Turkle, a sociologist and personality psychologist who has studied children in their digital interactions, found less empathy in middle school children than she expected.  The deficit seems to be due to our digitally dense environment. Her antidote to encouraging empathy is more conversation!

 

Your observations about the children prompt me to reflect on the issue of scale. Your examples remind me of one of my favorite shows on BBC World Service called “People Fixing the World.”  In a world that sends a message to “go big or go home,” this radio program highlights a very focused and often local project that has been successful in shaping a better reality for the folks involved.  In an interview printed in the book What If We Got It Right?, architect, artist, and community organizer Bryan C. Lee, Jr speaks about his way of planning projects, on a very local level, which are environmentally friendly and include buy-in by all the stakeholders. For an example, see the design of the middle school and high school named “Launch,” which will locate on their new site in 2026.

 

Dear reader, what message do you take away from Kathy’s post? I am reminded: think small, think local, bring joy and show compassion one bouquet at a time!

 


 


 

 
 
 

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