KIDS

kids
having one makes you think
about the past
about the present
about the future
spending time with a kid takes you back
back to your own childhood
all those years ago
to the long lost days of innocence, excitement and joy
when things were less complicated
when you couldn't get to sleep at night
not because you were worried about something
but because you were so excited about tomorrow
the days when you tumbled out of bed in the morning
itching to play with this or that toy
this or that game
the days when you dashed impatiently home from school
to wolf down your tea and go calling for your friends
and suddenly
thirty years later
you are there watching your own little one
experiencing the same thing
having a child makes you think about the future too
you imagine your four-year-old
as the adult you are now
you think about the kind of world
she or he is gonna be living in
in thirty years time
a world with more people
and fewer animal and plant species
a more crowded world
a more polluted world
a world with a less stable climate
a world with scarce resources
children make you realise how selfish you are
they force you to confront a few demons
but they also encourage you to think about
the things that really matter
not how much you earn
not how much money or how many credit cards you got
not what a big shot you are
with your impressive-sounding job title
or your flash car
or your prestige or your status
not which school or university you went to
or what brand of sunglasses you are wearing
kids can see through all that bullshit!
what really matters
is maintaining a healthy clean environment
where people live fulfilling lives
in harmony with their community
with respect for other species
in a way that doesn't compromise the future...
kids
having one makes you think