"A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be curious, and to fight tirelessly for something."
-Paulo Coelho
To those who do not know me, I am the second oldest out of eight kids, which means I have several siblings who watch and learn from my other siblings and I. They are all incredibly smart, kind, and genuine people. I could not be any more proud of the people they have grown up to be so far and I am so grateful that I have gotten the chance to know and love each and every one of them.
One aspect of being the second oldest out of so many children is how incredible it is getting to learn from my younger sibling’s innocence time and time again. I’ve learned so much from hearing their input on the world and how they view conflict. For example, while I watch television, I hear my youngest brother say, “That’s not a very nice word” or “That’s not nice!” to what we had just heard people say on the show. He says that at least ten times a day, which reminds me how easy it is for people to release negative energy into the air; it also reminds me how often we all do it. It is so simple for people to choose to be mean and it is even simpler to forget to be kind.
Recently in the news, there has been much death. Where there is death, there always seems to be a lurking ghost of hope that used to embody the friends and family of the person lost. In today's world, you see all of the problems happening right on your screen and everything that is wrong seems impossible to fix. It can be incredibly frustrating being at home when you want to be out fixing the world. Once, at the time, I was reading an article about the bombings that happened in France and I was very upset because I felt helpless and like I couldn't do much for the people who were hurting. My older sister was there to comfort me and she told me that the best way to make a difference is by letting the difference start with you. To this day she encourages me to try my hardest to show kindness every at every opportunity. Even when I feel frustrated, I usually use the fact that I have so many little kids watching how I handle situations as motivation to keep calm and show kindness.
We all need to remember that the next generation is watching us and is learning from us. They will be the next leaders who decide what has to be done for the world.
We need to try to remember what it was like being a kid that loved everything and everyone; hate is an idea that is taught from generation to generation, and though I know that it is very difficult to stop hate from spreading, stopping hate starts with you. How do you plan on helping society become a better place? Being more kind takes a lot of work and patience. There will be times where you will have to remind yourself to try to be more kind or to be more patient. The questions my mom always asks me are, "Would your 11 year old sister be proud of your decision?" It is a brilliant reminder that my little sister Emilia looks up to me and I use that to be kind.
Try to remember that whether you have siblings or children around you or not, you have a decision to make; bring kindness and compassion to society or be one of the reasons it continues to fall apart? Be the person that you needed when you were a child. Be the person that the world needs right now. Don’t let the world harden your soul, instead let the world and its people inspire you to become kinder and more compassionate. Learn from the people around you and let them learn from you.
