“ ... the feeling of right and wrong is the beginning of wisdom.”

widsom

noun

the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement

After many days of travel, I happened upon this curious scene in the city.

A group of children were building piles of fallen autumn leaves. Each child seemed to preside over 3 or 4 piles, which they were piecing together into miniature forts. One child, who was finishing off a clover leaf formation, suddenly popped up and stood at attention. He carefully circled his creation stepping inside and outside of the rings of leaves, inspecting his craftsmanship. I believe it got his seal of approval.

He walked over to a woman, who I guessed was his mother. She was sitting on a black mesh park bench, not far from me, reading a murder mystery book. While not completely disengaged from the world around her, up until this point, she did seem more concerned with the intrigue ongoing in her book rather than the world around her.

In an instant the child appeared at his mother's knees and asked, “Mommy, it's perfect! Look! I can attack from each ring, but I am safe in the middle. I think we should make our house like my fort, then we'd never see those men again. We would be safe, right?”

“Yes honey. We'd be safe,” she replied in a tone that conveyed genuine care but lacked careful consideration.

The child ran back to his fort, seemingly pleased with the answer he received from his mother. He jumped into the center of his fortress as the other boys were finishing up theirs. He surveyed the creations around him and pointed to the boy closest to him.

“Why don't we combine our fortresses? Then we would be stronger!” he exclaimed to the boy.

The other boy quickly replied, “No way! I spent so much time on my fortress. This fortress is mine. If I join you, you will ruin it or try and make me follow your rules.”

Shortly thereafter a tall man came walking up to the mother. He was carrying two canvas bags that were full of groceries. He exchanged a few words with the woman, then called to the boy, “Jonathan, it's time to go.”

To my surprise, the boy got up, ran out of his fortress, and towards the two adults. I wondered if his failed attempt at a union had ruined the whole idea of playing fortress.

“Did you have fun today at the park?” I heard the man ask.

“It was fun! I like it now that you're with us David. We always get to do new things. Can you stay with us forever?” replied the boy.

The man looked over to the woman, smiling approvingly, and said, “I'll see what I can do, Jonathan.”

♣ ♣ ♣

Days later I asked, “Teacher, I believe I observed basic levels of fear, greed, and hope. What can I learn from this experience?”

My teacher thought for a moment as he always does, sometimes waiting for me to stumble upon the answer for myself. He finally turned to me and said, “Learn from the boy. First, he understands a world of contrast. Second, he is willing to ask questions that bring the contrast into focus. Finally, he strives for harmony and conclusions between those contrasts.”