The 23rd of July is National Children’s Day in Indonesia.  There are currently around 76 million children in the country and I feel sorry for every single one of them.  And it’s not just because 50% of Indonesians live on less than $2 a day or over two million children under five are malnourished.  It’s mainly because they really don’t deserve to have the kind of adults that are currently raising them and making decisions about their future, nor the sorry environment they have to grow up in.

The thing about children is that they are wonderful human beings.  They are naturally honest, straightforward, fun loving and easy to please.  They are unaffectedly compassionate and caring and largely not prone to prejudice or discrimination.  They are extremely curious, open minded, tolerant and delight in new things.  They suspend judgment, are quick to show appreciation, eager to learn and get upset if they feel they’re treated unfairly.

Left to their own devices, they are more likely to engage in participative and collaborative playing as opposed to plotting on how they could cheat one another or make each other’s lives miserable.  There’s nothing more disturbing to a child than see another child cry or get upset.  Empathy comes easily to them, as does a spontaneous desire to help.