Small. Weak. Vulnerable. Naive. I’ve heard it said before. Not once, not twice, but a thousand times more. “You’re only a child! What would you know? Just play! Do something! Leave me be and go!”
This is not the first atrocity; many more I have witnessed, many more the burden fell upon me. I was in a store buying a pair of shoes when an older woman stepped in front of me and cut the queue. Heedfully I approached her and said, “Excuse me, miss, please fall in line.” She rolled her eyes, smirked, and went on ahead as if everything was fine. A similar case I witnessed with my own eyes: A child corrected his teacher’s mistake and she exclaimed, “Lies! Lies! Lies!”
If you have not noticed the theme so far, I suggest you do; read this and you might learn a thing or two.
People always say “mother knows best,” but I’d like to put that theory to the test. Sam Houghton invented a “double headed broom.” At the tender age of three, he invented a tool that can “collect large debris and fine dust simultaneously.” Not impressed yet? Well, get ready! Four Nigerian teenage girls invented a “pee-powered energy generator.” And yet here are the older and “wiser” Apple engineers, incessantly and redundantly producing remakes of their previous products year after year. iPhone, iPhone 3, iPhone 3G, iPhone 4! It’s hard to find something new at the Apple store.
Seemingly arbitrary, these cases actually align. The common theme is that the world is not fine. We live in a society where adults often underestimate the creativity and capabilities of the youth. This is slowly changing but so far it is the truth. Childish and optimistic it may seem, absurd even, but I feel that what follows is a viable solution to this issue that must be heard.
Experience is a strength that adults possess, but using this to belittle the youth can potentially stir up an enormous mess. One’s strength, however, can also be used for good. Allow the youth to learn from your experiences and mistakes, to foresee the future of “what could” instead of the current belief of “what should.” Move “out of the old and into the new”—just a little something I learned from “High School Musical 2.” After all, he who is an “insignificant” boy today will come of age someday.
I imagine that as adults, you would like to see the world in a way that relates economically. Well, picture this: If children are turned down constantly, then their confidence will grow weak and so will their productivity. An unproductive workforce can contribute to a significant decrease in GDP, and all you can do is watch as the numbers slip away regretfully. Is all this to salvage your pride? Open your eyes and look from the outside.
To the youth I must say I am also disappointed in our overly abiding ways. We are not robots; we are humans, too! Sitting idly by and listening for instructions all your life is not the sensible thing to do. Just a suggestion, the action part is up to you. Have a sense of judgment, allow yourself to determine what is right and wrong. Do not falter in the face of pressure, fight for your beliefs, stick to them and be strong.
I do not aspire to encourage children to disrespect their elders by any means, or to inspire a new generation of overconfident, cocky teens. The message I am trying to convey is that mutual respect is the way. Children must listen to their parents as society deems this true, but wouldn’t the world be more just if adults listen to the things we have in mind, too?
Before I conclude, I would just like to say: There is a purpose for the rhyming, by the way, and no, it is not just for play. The rhyming is a medium portraying the youth’s creativity, as it shatters the orthodox format of what an article “should” be. On that note I’ll leave it to you, but never forget this saying from “Horton Hears a Who”: “A person’s a person no matter how small.” Let this be a lesson for us all.
Danielle Dy, 16, is a Grade 11 student at International School Manila.