I love to read stories to my children. Stories teach important life lessons in a playful and interactive way. They help them imagine and recreate. They open windows to the vast universe we all are a part of. It is a pleasure to see those little eyes open wide with wonder and delight at the infinite things the cosmos has to offer. Stories written for the little minds often have messages for the elders too. These messages are those primal, quintessential values we all were taught when we were little - values which we seem to have forgotten, overlooked or dropped from our hearts while treading hastily in the journey of our life.
I recently came across one such story that touched me deeply. It is the story of a tree that loves a little boy so much that it gives him all that he asks for. The title of the story is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. When the boy is little, the tree gives him a place to play and swing. It gives him fruit to eat and sell, so that he earns money when he wants it. The boy grows up and wants a house. The tree gives him its branches to help him build a house. Then the boy goes away only to return after a long time. He is oblivious of the tree's loneliness. He wants to build a boat and the tree lets him cut his trunk. The boy is gone. He returns when he is old. The tree feels sorry as it has nothing more to offer. It has no leaves, no branches, no fruits, no trunk, nothing. The boy, now an old man, states he just needs a place to sit. The tree happily offers it his stump. And the story ends on a happy note, with the two friends united, and the tree feeling content to have given till the end.
As I read this story, I was crying. I cried at the indifference of the boy and the selflessness of the tree. It made me think of man's insatiable greed.
To my son, it was a story of friendship where the tree kept on giving because he was a good friend.
To me, it was a reality we all are facing but refuse to accept.
We are stealing away from Mother Nature. We are stealing away its life, ripping it off layer by layer.
Are we humans? Perhaps we should re-define ourselves.
I thought I should explain this to my son. So I started off by showing him the video Earth is Calling, an initiative by http://greenyatra.org/. When he looked at the pictures of barren earth, he too was saddened. But when he saw the rain, and when I explained to him how rain helps, he was a happy child again. He asked me what is wrong with nature.
I told him that we do not take care of nature. I told him that just as a mother takes care of a child, a child needs to reciprocate the feelings too. He was confused and asked me, "How do you take care of mummy? Mummy takes care of children." To this, I answered, "You give mother your love. When you give love, you make her happy. When she is happy, she will remain healthy."
He said,"How do you make nature happy?"
"By planting more trees. By switching off electricity when you don't need it. By not wasting water. By not wasting paper. By not wasting food. By using less plastic..."
"You always ask for less plastic bags when you go for grocery." He interrupted.
I smiled. He is noticing what I do.
"Yes. And we always recycle," I added. He nodded his head.
"There are so many small steps we can take that will make nature happy. By stopping pollution..."
"How do we stop pollution?"
"By walking instead of using car every now and then. Remember the trips we took to school when you were little. The school was nearby. We did not need the car. And now, you go by bus. So you are reducing traffic by not using your car everyday."
He smiled.
What was just a story session turned into a useful discussion where I shared important information on how to save nature. My son is the generation of tomorrow. If he understands the sensitivity of the topic today, he will gradually take steps for his future. The least I can do today is to inculcate a sense of respect for nature. If he understands that in the beauty of nature lies true happiness, he will always take care of it. I nurture love in his heart. That love will spread. That love will make him act. That love will help him save nature. Little actions, little deeds will create big ripples and Earth will smile, feeling proud of its children.
I urge all mothers to teach their children to love nature. I insist all little ones to go play outside. Go hide behind a tree. Go plant a seed and talk to the growing sapling. Go make puddles in the mud and rejoice in the rain. Go eat from a tree. Go smell a flower and admire its beauty. Live in nature. Love the nature. Nurture the nature.
I recently came across one such story that touched me deeply. It is the story of a tree that loves a little boy so much that it gives him all that he asks for. The title of the story is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. When the boy is little, the tree gives him a place to play and swing. It gives him fruit to eat and sell, so that he earns money when he wants it. The boy grows up and wants a house. The tree gives him its branches to help him build a house. Then the boy goes away only to return after a long time. He is oblivious of the tree's loneliness. He wants to build a boat and the tree lets him cut his trunk. The boy is gone. He returns when he is old. The tree feels sorry as it has nothing more to offer. It has no leaves, no branches, no fruits, no trunk, nothing. The boy, now an old man, states he just needs a place to sit. The tree happily offers it his stump. And the story ends on a happy note, with the two friends united, and the tree feeling content to have given till the end.
As I read this story, I was crying. I cried at the indifference of the boy and the selflessness of the tree. It made me think of man's insatiable greed.
To my son, it was a story of friendship where the tree kept on giving because he was a good friend.
To me, it was a reality we all are facing but refuse to accept.
We are stealing away from Mother Nature. We are stealing away its life, ripping it off layer by layer.
Are we humans? Perhaps we should re-define ourselves.
I thought I should explain this to my son. So I started off by showing him the video Earth is Calling, an initiative by http://greenyatra.org/. When he looked at the pictures of barren earth, he too was saddened. But when he saw the rain, and when I explained to him how rain helps, he was a happy child again. He asked me what is wrong with nature.
I told him that we do not take care of nature. I told him that just as a mother takes care of a child, a child needs to reciprocate the feelings too. He was confused and asked me, "How do you take care of mummy? Mummy takes care of children." To this, I answered, "You give mother your love. When you give love, you make her happy. When she is happy, she will remain healthy."
He said,"How do you make nature happy?"
"By planting more trees. By switching off electricity when you don't need it. By not wasting water. By not wasting paper. By not wasting food. By using less plastic..."
"You always ask for less plastic bags when you go for grocery." He interrupted.
I smiled. He is noticing what I do.
"Yes. And we always recycle," I added. He nodded his head.
"There are so many small steps we can take that will make nature happy. By stopping pollution..."
"How do we stop pollution?"
"By walking instead of using car every now and then. Remember the trips we took to school when you were little. The school was nearby. We did not need the car. And now, you go by bus. So you are reducing traffic by not using your car everyday."
He smiled.
What was just a story session turned into a useful discussion where I shared important information on how to save nature. My son is the generation of tomorrow. If he understands the sensitivity of the topic today, he will gradually take steps for his future. The least I can do today is to inculcate a sense of respect for nature. If he understands that in the beauty of nature lies true happiness, he will always take care of it. I nurture love in his heart. That love will spread. That love will make him act. That love will help him save nature. Little actions, little deeds will create big ripples and Earth will smile, feeling proud of its children.
I urge all mothers to teach their children to love nature. I insist all little ones to go play outside. Go hide behind a tree. Go plant a seed and talk to the growing sapling. Go make puddles in the mud and rejoice in the rain. Go eat from a tree. Go smell a flower and admire its beauty. Live in nature. Love the nature. Nurture the nature.
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| The serene greens and the soothing streams Promise joys pure and pristine My son and daughter Go bathe in them Go splash in them These are treasures Of high esteem These are treasures of rarest gems! |
such a great post and seeing the earth through a child's eye is something else. We do learn a lot by your post. Thx for sharing.
ReplyDeletedid you, really? thanks sonia.....i felt that teaching a child about nature and the need to save it is crucial....so i wrote this post.....thanks for stopping by.....i am so happy you liked it.....
Deletesuch a great post and seeing the earth through a child's eye is something else. We do learn a lot by your post. Thx for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSuch innocent intelligent questions!
ReplyDeleteGod bless!
thanks Indrani.....
DeleteSunaina loved this post amazing , and I agree with you that it is mother's who should teach their children to love nature. I have seen mothers throwing waste wrappers , bottles on the road , what will their children learn. When i see such mother , i feel like how tip top they look but behave as if they are uneducated.They have lost what they have studied.
ReplyDelete