When my sister moved out she left a whole bunch of books behind – I’m a huge book worm so I looked through them and (if she lets me) I plan on keeping a couple/all of them :) There are a few novels, a few fashion books, a few classics and a few Anne Geddes books. Most people know who Anne Geddes is – if not, she’s a photographer known for her “stylized depictions of babies and motherhood”. Know who she is yet? No? Ok, she takes pictures of cute babies dressed as bunnies and bears and flowers. I challenge you to look at some of her pictures without smiling :)
Anyway, this particular book “Thoughts with Love” is a collection of photographs which are put alongside famous quotes. The book is full of beautiful quotes, but one in particular really stood out to me...
“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again... And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them; Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven... You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work – we all must work – to make the world worthy of its children.”
Pablo Casals (1876-1973)
I really love this because it’s so true. Children are a marvel. Everything about them is absolutely amazing – from their tiny fingers and toes to their little (or should I say big) personalities. They are remarkable and they need to be told just how special they are. Grownups aren’t that bad either – we were once those children and we’re just as extraordinary, even if we sometimes forget. I particularly like when Casals talks about harming others – everything he says is completely true. If we truly believed that we are marvels, if we truly understood our worth and the worth of others, then we couldn’t (or at least wouldn’t) seek to harm others. We must behave as if we are marvellous. We must understand our potential and be at our very best. If only people truly understood this then the world would be a much greater place. I’ve been thinking about war a lot recently and this quotation has really got me thinking. Imagine if all the dictators and warmongers believed this. Imagine if they actually understood the value of each person. The world could be so different. Casals said that “the love of one’s country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border?” – I know that the idea of world peace is idealistic and naive; it will probably never happen but there is always possibility. We really do need to work to make the world worthy of its children. I suppose I’ll start by working on myself. I’ll let you know how that goes, but until then, have another Casals quote...
Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a person to listen to his own goodness and act on it.
Pablo Casals (1876-1973)
xx
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