The Golden Days In Childhood
The Golden Days In Childhood
How nice it would be if going to school is just to learn arithmetic, to read, to write, without being obliged, forced to learn so many other dreary subjects.
But it’s not his parents, the community that should study so hard, to be examined and be ashamed of, when he fails.
With a plus curriculum, extra private lessons and a lot of home-work, chasing after favorite schools, do they want to make him something of a champion, prepare for his career and be the pride of his parents or the nation?
How nice, how free it is to perch as a bird on a tree or on a boulder, instead of sitting “caged”, “imprisoned” in a class room, yet, he feels it as softer, more comfortable than sitting on a bench, a chair or even a sofa.
Every time he fishes in a creek, a river or a lake, just catching the smallest fish, that’s more fascinating than the biggest fish catch but was written in a book or published in the news papers.
Eating unripe or any other fruits which he has shot with his catapult, does taste much sweeter than the sweetest fruits from the market served by his mother on the dining table.
Seeing the life breathing light of a firefly perching or flying as a shooting star is more enchanting, wonderful than seeing hundreds colorful flickering lights on a Christmas tree. Hearing the chirping seriringan cricket in a box is sweeter than even an angel’s song.
“Touring round the world” with just one cent, watching, following a squirrel, a wood pigeon, a circling hawk, a chameleon, a fresh water turtle, catch a tree-spider, a scorpion, to chase after butterflies, dragonflies, yu-yu or fresh water crabs, to climb and see a nest with baby birds, watching cricket fights, … That’s more exciting, amazing, fun than seeing them in a zoological garden. Then have es cincao, iced jelly-like pudding from cincau leaves or es gantung, snowballed ice with syrup on a stick, for the nicest, coolest drink on the earth in the shade of a tree to close his “journey”.
Then fly kites, play gasing, a spinning toy that’s whipped with a cord, congklak, a canoe-like playing board of wood with two times seven holes filled with seashells, having a camp fire out of collected waste of dry leafs, then roasting ground nuts or ketela in its ashes, or keep, take care of chickens, fishes, a rabbit, a squirrel, … and a thousand and one other niceties.
It’s not just children that should learn. Some one said (and he whispered):: “grown-ups too should have much to learn from children: from their frankness, artlessness, imagination, joy and happiness, without having to pay or being forced to go to school.”
Such are the golden days, the golden hours in childhood which will never return.
From Jayakarta, June 1, 1992
