Ignorance is just a light that has been turned off inside of someones brain.
You cannot turn it on for them. They have to do it.
The switch is accessed by compassion and empathy.
The best action that we can do for those with the switch turned off is to facilitate situations where they have the opportunity to be compassionate and empathetic. Oh wait, I think that is called ‘life’.
Still, we can encourage each other.
I had a strange experience the other day.
It was almost like a life review about why I lamented school so much. I usually received a C average and missed a lot of class due to fake illnesses that my parents believed every time. I almost gave myself mercury poisoning once because I put the thermometer into hot soup so that they’d think I had a crazy fever. This back-fired because the thermometer broke and I drank mercury. My dad was a doctor and induced vomiting. This was not part of the plan.
It’s not that I was stupid or afraid of school. I just thought it was a waste of my time. So, I ended up doing just enough to get through it and graduate.
The other day when asking myself why this was I had a memory…
In Grade 1 we were given an assignment. I was to research snakes, write a report and draw a picture. I remembered how excited I was because I loved snakes and I worked as hard as any 6-year-old could on a research project about snakes. I was really proud of my accomplishment.
I brought the finished product to class and enthusiastically showed my teacher. She started to yell. In front of the entire class, she scolded me about how I didn’t color the snakes that I had drawn and took my assignment away while crumpling it. Subsequently, I didn’t get a good mark.
Last week I distinctly remembered how I felt in that moment and the decision I made at age 6. I was shamed and embarrassed. Here was the sub-conscious logic…
If I work really hard at a project/school and put a lot of passion or effort into it then the world will reject or yell at me. It doesn’t matter. So why bother?
Apparently, this experience affected my experience of the remaining years of school. I was way too sensitive. The teacher was probably just having a bad day or maybe she just hated uncolored snakes. Whatever the case, I have since healed this trauma. This post however, isn’t about blaming that stupid bitch teacher who ruined my life. I’m kidding:)
This post is about encouraging kids no matter what and not taking our bad day out on them. I am really careful about what I say to kids regarding the creative ideas or projects that they’ve put themselves into…
No matter how lame or stupid these ideas or projects are.
After all, we are all still children learning how to play and interact with one another.
I kept my weeble wobbles from childhood because they remind me of something really important.
Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down.
The Weeble wobbles remind me that I don’t have to fall anymore.
I may wobble from time to time however.
We have to continually encourage one another. An important aspect of this is the dialog we have in our own brain. In order to truly encourage others we must encourage ourselves.
Remember the mighty Weebles in times of testing:)
