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200 words, caring, children, community, compassion, courage, curiosity, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, growing up, honesty, integrity, kids, life, living in the moment, world issues
Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. ~ Roy Bennett
As soon as I read today’s quote, it made me think of children and how they take in the world with such awe and curiosity.
From the moment Michaela could string a sentence together, she began to question everything.
I can still see her big round eyes looking at me as she carefully listened to my answers. And if she still did not understand, she asked more questions!
What I loved the most is when she finally understood an answer to a question like why are some kids starving for example; she was not satisfied with because-that’s-the-way-it-is answers and would call it what she believed it was – STUPID.
As we transition from childhood to adulthood we lose something important that changes how we view the world.
Maybe we put blinders on so we can cope.
Maybe we’re told so often that we can’t fix something, that we start to believe it.
Maybe other things that affect us directly just take priority and we reason away our responsibility to others.
~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~
It’s amazing what you can find again by just watching a child.
talktodiana 
That’s so true! ❤
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Isn’t it, Rachel?
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My grandchildren went home yesterday after staying with us for a week. They always teach me so much about life and love. Inspiring post, Diana. ❤
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Hope you had an awesome visit Jennifer and thanks! ❤
Diana xo
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Diana I try to keep my inner child, but as I age she is not as clear as she use to be. Children amaze me with how they see this world. Everything is new again seen through the eyes of a child and that can be so refreshing.
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That it can Kath. ❤
Diana xo
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Diana, Insightful post.
As adults we often get it wrong. We misstaken the way of children.
We have become childish, rather than remaining childlike.
-Alan
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I was thinking of that verse too, Alan! ❤
Diana xo
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Two minds alike with one thought.
-Alan
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Oh to see the world through the eyes of a child with all of that innocent curiosity. I will say that since I started blogging and taking photos I am able to see more than previously. The beauty in the little things I otherwise would have never noticed. I am grateful for that.
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That makes sense Sue, one has to pay attention to write about it and I’m so glad you do! ❤
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So sweet of you to say Diana. Thank you.
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You sure got that right, Diana. New views on familiar thoughts can invigorate!
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They sure can Mark! Nurse Kelly touched on that theme in a recent post. Do you follow her blog? Here’s her post just in case you don’t. http://nursekellyknows.com/2015/08/02/uncharted/
We’re having a long weekend here in Alberta today: Heritage Day. I’ve been at my new job for 3 months already – unreal how time flies and how much more weekends mean to me in our fleeting summer. Hope you continue to enjoy yours! ❤
Diana xo
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Happy Heritage Day, dear Diana! ❤
Yes, I follow Nurse Kelly's always well-written and interesting blog. 🙂
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Diana, it’s sad how as we grow older the childlike questioning spirit seems to drain away. The world kind of loses its magic and mystery. I think it has something to do with our obsession with always wanting certainty in life. I remember a mentor of mine once saying, ” Remember the power is in the questions not in the answers.” I think breathing the air of mystery and magic and questions is far better than the air of suffocating certainty.
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Don, I love that last sentence in your comment – part of a future poem, perhaps? ❤
Diana xo
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You are so right. When Ming was younger I learned so much from seeing the world through his eyes and wrote a column for a parenting magazine for a couple of years. It was called “Through a Child’s Eyes”!
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Really? That is so cool! Do you still have the articles Julie? ❤
Diana xo
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Diana … To see the world thru the eyes of a child is to experience innocence, awe and pure love. I often wish I could return to that time if only for just a short while.
Your photo captures so many wonderful expressions – just wonderful.
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One can’t go back Judy, but on occasion I feel as I did as a child. ❤
Diana xo
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So true. You get pure honesty with none of the pretensions or anxiety. Enjoying seeing the world through the eyes of the grandkids– amazing.
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I bet it is Lisa! Wait until you see the world through the eyes of your student! ❤
Diana xo
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So true children can teach us so much and it is said that often we teach them so many negative things and how to see the world through negative eyes when they come into the world seeing all the positive good things
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I tried really hard not to do that Jo-Anne, but just from fear of the 101 things that could happen to her, I probably somewhat did. ❤
Diana xo
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This is beautiful and true. We lose so much as we age. I think we believe we gain so much. But I think you accurately remind us what we lose. Thank you Diana. ❤
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My pleasure Colleen. ❤
Diana xo
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I learned so much from my own children. Lovely quote and post, Diana. ☺
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Me too Van and thank you! ❤
Diana xo
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Some of us never transition into adulthood. Too much Scrooge and not enough Peter Pan. So now that I have reached my second childhood, I ain’t going back.
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You lucky dude, you! ❤
Diana xo
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the why question is the path to knowledge Diana.
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You’re so right Bill! ❤
Diana xo
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So true…
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Thanks David. ❤
Diana xo
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I do think it’s absolutely tragic that so many people stop asking “Why?” Those who don’t usually go on to become scientists of some sort (because science is all about “Why?”) or — sometimes — authors who express their questions in more open-ended fashion (e.g. you asking why we allow homeless or starvation).
It may be that for some the answers become too complicated. It is known exactly why cell phones work, for example, but that explanation requires a very large background to fully understand. (What’s still tragic is that so many look at that tall mountain and don’t even explore the foothills.)
It may also be that, as an adult, we see more the interconnectedness of things and that competing needs make answers, not impossible to understand but (seemingly) impossible to resolve. We begin to understand that many answers depend on how you look at it, and that there is not always a single “right” answer.
The world has always been complicated at the adult level, and it’s just gotten a lot more complicated over time. It’s understandable that adults would give up trying to understand it all and just hide under the covers of their own construction.
But it’s still tragic.
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Yes, it’s still tragic Smitty. Sometimes it just feels easier to go with the flow than to rock the boat. 😦 ❤
Diana xo
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Ah, “easy” … yeah, that’s a whole other kettle of little swimming things!
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Love the way you ‘string words together’! 🙂
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Thanks. I’m channeling Terry Pratchett, who loves to take a common metaphor and twist it into some new shape. He especially likes metaphors that fail: “It hit me like… a thing that hits really hard!”
My all-time favorite, though, is due to Douglas Adams in Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy when he describes how the giant Vogon spaceships “hung in the air in exactly the same way that bricks do not.”
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Ha! I love that!
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Thank you sharing this today Diana … my inner wee girl just came out to play 🙂
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yippee! I was just looking through photos the other day and found one of me and my daughter playing hop scotch – I still love that game. ❤
Diana xo
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😊
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A friend and I have discussed a similar topic at length. At what point in our lives does asking the question “why?” switch from being perceived as innocent information gathering to being perceived as challenging one’s knowledge or authority? And why does that happen?😀
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Good question Ian. Maybe because we’re not threatened by children? You’ve written enough posts about vulnerability Ian, maybe that’s one of the thing things we lose, at least the willingness to be vulnerable… ❤
Diana xo
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Do you ever look back at photos of yourself and remember when everything was so awe-inspiring!
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Yes. In fact, this post was inspired in part by the quote and in part by a B&W photo I re-found of me looking out at the water Elizabeth! ❤
Diana xo
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It’s amazing what I can find again just by watching you! ❤
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(smiling) Thank you Ann. ❤
Diana xo
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