When Children Learn
When children learn that happiness is not found in what a
person has but in who that person is,
When they learn that giving and forgiving are more
rewarding than taking and avenging,
When they learn that suffering is not eased by self-pity,
but overcome by inner resolve and spiritual strength,
When they learn that they can't control the world around
them, but they are the masters of their own souls,
When they learn that relationships will prosper if they
value friendship over ego, compromise over pride, and listening
over advising,
When they learn not to hate a person whose difference they
fear, but to fear that kind of hate,
When they learn that there is pleasure in the power of
lifting others up, not in the pseudo-power of pushing them down,
When the learn that praise from others is flattering but
meaningless if it is not matched by self-respect,
When they learn that the value of a life is best measured
not by the years spent accumulating possessions, but by the
moments spent giving of one's self - sharing wisdom, inspiring
hope, wiping tears and touching hearts,
When they learn that a person's beauty is seen not with the
eyes but with the heart; and that even though time and hardships
may ravage one's outer shell, they can enhance one's character
and perspective,
When they learn to withhold judgment of people, knowing
everyone is blessed with good and bad qualities, and that the
emergence of either often depends on the help given or hurt
inflicted by others,
When they learn that every person has been given the gift
of a unique self, and the purpose of life is to share the very
best of that gift with the world,
When children learn these ideals and how to practice them
in the art of good living, they will no longer be children -
they will be blessings to those who know them, and worthy models
for all the world.
by David L. Weatherford
Reprinted by permission of David L. Weatherford (c) 1996, from A
5th Portion of Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and
Mark Victor Hansen.
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