Thursday, April 19, 2007
never work with children or animals
I was in England last week, helping to run the children's programme for 5-7 year olds at a Family conference... and one of the children said something that I haven't been able to forget. Not because it was funny, not because it was innocent, but because it was true.
I asked them to think about the things that are in their heart. The general aim was that we'd have answers like "love for my mum" or "friendship with my best friend" or "patience" or "kindness". I set the question up, even gave them a general idea of what kind of answers I was looking for. you can picture the scene - lots of human skittles in front of me, all aching to be the one asked to give an answer... I got a few answers that fit the bill, but I've forgotten them.
Then the little lad answered. Bright & sparky - he was at the back of the group, and he spoke loudly. "Loneliness," he said. "there is Loneliness in my heart. Sometimes I think it's going to break. But it's an okay kind of loneliness. I don't have many friends". He was a chirpy little chap. He loved playing with the others. I think he was realising that loneliness is a part of life - taht there is a certain part of us that will never feel like we have totally shared it with another person. But he hadn't learnt the lesson of self-censorship yet. I didn't know what to say. So I said the only thing that I could.
That's the truth.
Never work with children or animals - they're sometimes cute and they sometimes speak the truth. I haven't been able to forget this.
In our work of Reconciliation with YWAM Belfast, I think that the acknowledgment that loneliness is a part of all of our lives - whatever groups we represent, whatever community we feel is ours, whatever flag we fly, whatever our motto is, whatever group we oppose, we all know a certain kind of loneliness - and this is an aching, heart-breaking kind of loneliness, when we allow it to speak - and it somehow is a voice that while one the one hand defines us as being alone, on the other hand builds bridges of community with other lonely belonging-seekers.
Never work with children or animals. They might just break you.
Pádraig
I asked them to think about the things that are in their heart. The general aim was that we'd have answers like "love for my mum" or "friendship with my best friend" or "patience" or "kindness". I set the question up, even gave them a general idea of what kind of answers I was looking for. you can picture the scene - lots of human skittles in front of me, all aching to be the one asked to give an answer... I got a few answers that fit the bill, but I've forgotten them.
Then the little lad answered. Bright & sparky - he was at the back of the group, and he spoke loudly. "Loneliness," he said. "there is Loneliness in my heart. Sometimes I think it's going to break. But it's an okay kind of loneliness. I don't have many friends". He was a chirpy little chap. He loved playing with the others. I think he was realising that loneliness is a part of life - taht there is a certain part of us that will never feel like we have totally shared it with another person. But he hadn't learnt the lesson of self-censorship yet. I didn't know what to say. So I said the only thing that I could.
That's the truth.
Never work with children or animals - they're sometimes cute and they sometimes speak the truth. I haven't been able to forget this.
In our work of Reconciliation with YWAM Belfast, I think that the acknowledgment that loneliness is a part of all of our lives - whatever groups we represent, whatever community we feel is ours, whatever flag we fly, whatever our motto is, whatever group we oppose, we all know a certain kind of loneliness - and this is an aching, heart-breaking kind of loneliness, when we allow it to speak - and it somehow is a voice that while one the one hand defines us as being alone, on the other hand builds bridges of community with other lonely belonging-seekers.
Never work with children or animals. They might just break you.
Pádraig
