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I was on my way home tonight when I saw this little boy with his dad. I spotted them as we were all getting on the L headed to Brooklyn. The reason I was paying attention is because this kid was asking him to buy him this toy, while he was already holding an art painting of the kid’s name. The father explained to the boy that he had no more money and that they had to go home to Brooklyn as it was late, cold and the stores were closing. The kid suggested they take the painting back, so they could get the money! LOL…
When we got on the train, and the boy realized, that he really was going to Brooklyn and would have to wait for the toy, he got upset. First, he threw off his hat, his dad ignored him. Then he says, “I don’t want to go to Brooklyn, I want to go to the store and get…” His dad just took the hat and held it. Then the boy turned his back on his dad, turned back around long enough to slap his father’s arm, turned back around once more and began this intense pouting-campaign. The father’s reaction? Listening to his i-pod, and ignoring his son’s antics.
What amazed me is, everytime the boy, who was probably three, began to calm down–he’d work himself up into be angry again. And, I thought, wow, so many people behave that way when they don’t get instant gratification. And, then I realized something, we don’t always need instant gratification. One of the greatest secrets to life is looking forward to getting tomorrow, what you didn’t get today! It’s an important life lesson, looking forward to another day, time, or opprotunity to realize a passion or desire. Wisdom comes from understanding that life is a process of evolving and acquiring more tomorrow than you have today.
The need for instant gratification is the reflection of youth. Children want “it” now. They don’t want to wait. They don’t want to go through the process, and are always trying to rush to the end of things. And, you know what? Without the journey, the earning of things, when we do we get what we want, we miss the fact that it symbolizes an award of patience. Or, of hard work, or of honing of skills, etc… Which is why children tend to waste. And, yet, this attitude of youth, is what has hurt us deeply financially, mentally, spiritually even physically speaking. We want everything NOW, and want to pay for it LATER, or…NEVER! And, that’s not realistic. The world doesn’t work that way, and never will.
I’m so glad that I didn’t get everything in life I wanted when I wanted it. Otherwise, why be here at all? Not to mention, rarely do we know what we want when we’re young. I knew a lot of what I wanted, but, little about who I wanted to be. That had to be discovered by earning the things I wanted. And, if people just gave me what I wanted all the time, I’d learn nothing about myself.
Hopefully, that little boy realized that pouting his face into contortions offered no reward, other than being ignored by his father. So, he may avoid being the adult behaving like a three year old.  There’s already too many of them! Heehee…
The waiting between wanting something, and getting it, is where wisdom is developed. It’s where the child earns becoming an adult.
 
Love Peace Happiness N One,
SunDeevah