Spirit-led: the wisdom of sharing

I have no children, only 1 nephew and now I hear a grand-nephew, both of whom I do not know. 

I have a great desire to impart my knowledge and wisdom to others, especially the younger generation.  After all, it really makes no sense when I reach the end of my cycle to just depart.  That is the reason  why I talk with everyone I meet along the way, this  sub-conscious  desire to pass on what I know; to have the next generation put a  stronger foot forward, filled with my wisdom and knowledge reinforced  with the wisdom and knowledge of all those who taught me.  

It is amazing the thoughts: translucent trailings really,  that Spirit sends to me and sometimes, I am able to connect the dots as I am doing in this writing.    I had the wonderful opportunity of attending a free concert  featuring  the artist Mungal Patasar and his band Pantar  (he’s on myspace.com and youtube) recently.    I received the tickets from an old friend who explicitly asked that I be accompanied by a young child, all of 12 years because she wanted him to be introduced to the Arts; she wanted his curiosity to be awakened to new experiences.   My companion and I had a great time, he in his quiet manner taking in all his surroundings and me in more gregarious fashion, asking him questions about the various instruments, answering his questions about the stage lighting, encouraging his interaction with people older and younger than he, whom we met. You see, both my friend and I want this child to stand on our backs and reach for the stars.  We want to see this child, who is not our child, not related to us in any way, do better than we have done.  I know that we want his imagination to dream BIG, his spirit to persevere through all of life’s turmoil and we will hold him up through passing on our knowledge and experiences in the best way we can.  

Aside: He and I now have a standing date for any free plays, jazz shows, movies, etc., that can fit our calendar.  I'm excited!

In recent times I made contact with the son of one of my cousins.  While we know of each other,  Spirit has been whispering  that I need to  be in contact frequently to quiet his anger: his voice and manner that seem to be on overdrive, about to overheat with frustration , to help him breathe a different air, thus I have found myself calling him regularly.  Most of the times, I only have the opportunity to leave a voice mail.  There is never a return call but in the times that we have spoken, I have learnt a bit about his desire to be successful materially.  When he speaks of his father who died when he was only a boy, the loss of that relationship is still evident.  I hear the loneliness and pain as he tells me that he does not share his life with his surviving parent and that she has false conclusions as to his goings-on. 

I have decided to stay in contact with him so that I may one day be able to tell him that I do love him very much; he is of my blood.  I want him to know through our interaction that while I can never understand that loss a boy feels at losing his father, I can see the father in him and he should work towards developing the attributes of his father - kindness, a happy heart, a good attitude – in his own life.  I want this man to know that his mother is proud of him even with the animosity between them.   Does he need my friendship?  I really don’t know.  What I do feel in my Spirit is a need for him, a desire to form a strong familial relationship with him through an exchange of our wisdom and experiences.

If you have children or grandchildren in your life, do more than just watch them at ballet and football, do more than simply enquire if the homework is completed?  Spend time telling them of your experiences, the good and the bad ones and the lessons learned from these.  Recently, I have encountered persons in their 20s who do not know how to cook a nutritious, and inexpensive meal for their families.  But that is not important you may say, in a time of prepared meals, which can be swiftly sourced from the supermarket.  The world food shortage is growing daily, so perhaps it may be wise to pass on your experiences of “eating little and living long”.  The latest learning on computers and apps is certainly the thing to know, nowadays, but learning the techniques of mental arithmetic, or the strategy of a good chess game can help our young ones create computer applications or deal with challenges that may arise in their lives.    The soft skills, especially ‘please’ and ‘thank-you’ in all its permutations that will also be passed on as you share your wisdom and knowledge can only lift your protégé higher and higher.  

Consider deliberately passing on your wisdom and knowledge, wherever and in whatever stage of life you are.  Connect with your children and their friends more frequently.  Maybe, have 1 day or 1 meal per week shared just with family with no outside distractions of computer games, golf, and club meetings or liming.   Talk about what’s happening in their lives, in the life of the nation and the world at large.  The stiltedness will soon pass and with patience at both ends, the learning and love in action will begin.  Invest  your time in our children and so build a legacy of family and nation.