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Today's
Meditation:
It's
very easy not to get into the habit of exposing kids to some
of the greater things in life. After all, kids tend to
find these things "boring," and a bored kid is a
high-maintenance kid, so we try to find things that will
keep them satisfied and occupied. If we do so
regularly, though, we risk having our kids grow up without
any sort of appreciation for true quality, and without
experiencing any of the feelings that are brought on by the
great works.
While
I think that we often overvalue the classics at the expense
of much of the great new material, I also believe that
there's a reason for which many of the great works are still
read and studied. They tend to speak to a deeper part
of ourselves, that part that sees the potential glory and
wonder of the human experience. They appeal to the
explorer in each of us, the lover, the dreamer, the
fighter. They help us to see our potential
vicariously, through the lives of fictional characters,
which can set off a spark in ourselves that can help us to
achieve more than we might otherwise.
There
are many arguments against living vicariously as a habit,
but exposing oneself to other perspectives and points of
view doesn't necessarily mean that we're living our whole
lives through someone else. And exposing children of
all ages to the great literature and drama and science can
help them to see potential and possibility rather than
limitations and barriers, which can be one of the greatest
gifts that we can give to them.
Exposing
kids and ourselves to great works can help us to grow and to
learn about life through the eyes of others, helping us all
to become more compassionate and caring, too. While we
have to be careful about how we define "great,"
and we also have to be sure that we don't allow ourselves or
others to become dependent on vicarious experiences, it's
important that we enrich ourselves by broadening our
horizons, and there's plenty of material out there that can
help us to do so, if we only let it.
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