Patience

Patience

Never in my most self indulgent, narcissistic, self delusional moments have I ever thought of myself as “a patient person”.  But I do believe that volunteering many hours in a classroom of fifth graders for the last several years has taught me something.

I’ve learned that it is way easier to be patient with “self indulgent, narcissistic, self delusional fifth graders” than it is to attain the same feeling of equanimity with adults. 

The kids have an excuse!  They’re kids, experimenting with what works on planet earth among humans, dogs, cats, and their peers, (remember, the adults hold all the power).  What can you say for adults that act like: “Whatever I can get away with, is what I can get away with”?  Not to mention… And now I will mention…

Not to mention that if you are rich enough, you can get away with almost anything.  If you’ve been rich your entire life, you may have never learned any limits on anything.  You have always gotten away with everything.  I’m not a psychoanalyst, but I guess you know where this is going.

“Human nature isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

I said that.   I still say that often.  It may be something that I’ll be most famous for, if I am ever famous for anything.  I do so love quotations of well spoken truths.

So, here is the assumption: “Human nature” is a thing, and it is, what it is.  Whoop-de-doo. A syllogism!  I'm not supposed to have to tell you that the sky is blue and you're not supposed to argue with me about it.

I’ve found that fifth grader's “human nature” is a step above what I’ve seen from adults.  As “un-civilized” and “un-socialized” as they may be, the children are still more empathic and self aware than many of the adults that we encounter daily in life, and in the news; many of whom say that they are leaders and that they are leading.