There's a gameshow on the Fox Network right now called "Are you smarter than a 5th grader" and in thinking about that question it reminded me of a t-shirt phrase I once saw and have displayed in my title. I wondered if it wouldn't be a good idea to put many people back into kindergarten so that they can learn a couple of basic rules, such as:
1- sharing: As I see the turmoil in the world over imaginary borders it reminds me of a time when my sister and I used to share a room. I remember once we were so mad at each other for the other person's things entering our space that we decided to divide up the room. That was soon remedied by my mom coming in and telling us how ridiculous we were acting and telling us to share. It's remarkable how when told to share children will often throw a tantrum and then ten minutes later be done and having forgotten the whole thing resume their play. It seems to me that maybe someone should just march up to these people and tell them how ridiculous they're acting. Unfortunately age sometimes brings a loss of wisdom for some and their tantrum would probably never end.
2- be kind to others: Parents spend a lot of time trying to teach their children with words what the right things to do our, but then unteach them sometimes in the way they act. The other day I saw a woman alone with three young children trying to get them all in the car and take back her shopping cart and so I asked if she would like me to take it back for her. She was very grateful. Doing little acts of kindness make the world a better place. No matter how small, it's one less stress we have to worry about. Acts of kindness can come when we speak to waiters, sales reps, customer service agents, etc. Just as you wouldn't want your child to be disrespectful to an adult who was helping them, so we too should be an example of understanding to those whom we interact with.
3- if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all: Ah, the of speaking one's mind. This blog is a good example of the ability we each have to say what we want. However, I wonder if sometimes it isn't better to just stay silent. Knowing when to let the "little things" go and save an argument for another day is a great talent. This does not meant that when things our unjust we should stand by and watch, but taking the extra time to think things through before speaking can save us from future problems in our homes, relationships, work, and other venues. Backbiting and gossip can have a kharmic reaction and is best avoided.
4-clean up after yourself: Sometimes I think it is so funny that "going green" had to become trendy in order for everyone to want to do it. It's quite possible that since the beginning of time parents have been trying to tell the children to pick up what they were playing with, throw things away in the right place, don't take more food than you can eat, do your chores, etc. Yet, as many reach adulthood they find new ways to pollute the earth and destroy the creations upon it.
5-It's ok to play! People seem to have forgotten what fun is. Being outside, running around, laughing, following down and getting back up again and again, and just enjoying the moment you are in.
And finally and maybe most importantly Learn to say "I'm sorry." How many problems in the world today could be avoided or solved if we just said we were sorry. Letting our own need to be right or waiting too long has brought broken families, broken people, failed companies, warring countries, and so much more into the world.
There are surely many more things that could be thought of which we learned in our childhood and perhaps the next time we make a big decision in our lives we can compare it to that of a child and ask ourselves, "what would I tell a kindergartner to do?" We'd probably find the right answer.
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