Hermione (our cat) is sleeping on a chair, Catherine is staying with her grandparents in Toowoomba for a few nights, Christopher is entertaining himself on his computer, Garry is having a quiet afternoon in the guesthouse, and so I have a little bit of time to blog. On our car trip home from Toowoomba this afternoon, Christopher and I had a lengthy discussion on what it means to live a beautiful life. He's at such an interesting age for this sort of conversation. He began by saying it's impossible to live a beautiful life - by which he meant that no life can be perfectly beautiful. By the end of the conversation he was describing how someone living a beautiful life can reach out and wrap that around others and make their lives beautiful too.
It put me in mind of the movie, "Life is Beautiful" in which a father transforms the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp into an imaginative game for his son. It's a gem of a movie - both very funny and piercingly sad. What made me think of it is Christopher's concept of making life beautiful for others. A beautiful life is not about surrounding yourself with luxury, it's about making the world a better place for all the people that touch your life.
If this seems like it's too difficult, Christopher's analogy is that you build a beautiful life the same way you decorate your bedroom - you might start by hanging a favourite picture, then tidying the desk and looking out for an ornament that's just right for your room. You don't try to achieve a perfect room in one day - it happens bit by bit. So there you have it - some words of wisdom from an eleven-year-old who wants to "bring more peace to the world and call other people to do the same".
5 comments:
yeah, our kids, ay!
reminds me of a discussion we had recently with friends who were sincerely describing their mission in life as "looking after your own backyard", meaning that their priority is their kids and their family life.
fantastic. and they seem to be doing a good job in their "yard". There should be more of it.
Of course, lots of people who have (not-quite-so-sincerely)made the same comment to me in the face of questions of poverty, injustice and violence and what to do about them, are actually using a good concept as an excuse to become narrow-minded, bigoted and self-centred. After all, who cares what happens to the "neighbours". That's not in my backyard.
I agree that I'd like our kids to learn - by our example - that our backyard needs attending to; just so long as they learn - also by our example - that our backyard is a part of a neighbourhood (local, national, international) and what hurts my neighbour hurts me.
um...you know, of course, that in that last post I was actually agreeing with you, not disageeing? On reading it through, it sounds like I might have been disagreeing. Not so. :-)
Christopher, 'Life is beautiful' when I talk to you and look at your lovely smile and hear your infectious laugh.
You are truly an inspiration.
OOPS, Christopher - third comment from little GranGran
Wow Christopher, that's amazing.... I love the "reaching out & wrapping around" idea; every time when I am in your company I can feel it! It also reminds me of the wonderful times we had at Gabbinbar where you and Jarred were always "decorating the bedroom" as you call it. When I think of you it makes me happy...
hope to see you again soon; big hug
from Oma
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