The Way Children Learn

Ever since 1962, all the Americans have been paying one cent of each dollar in taxes in order to finance a wonderful organization that is known as NASA and we believe this is a wonderful thing that is being done. The ability to be able to go to the moon, and even more yet, the ability of getting back, is absolutely incredible. If someone was able to resume the whole space program in one simple, clear question and gave you a year to think about what that question would be, do you think you could present a simpler and clear question than that of how the stars hold themselves up in the sky? Most likely you wouldn’t be able to come up with this type of question. In most cases when a child asks us a question we are not able to respond to such as – how do the stars stay up in the sky? We say, - Because that’s the way it is sweetie.

All little children are able to see the intentions of the adults as clear as crystal and because of this it is vital we do not lie or try to fool a child because it never works. So what is it that we adults do when a child confronts us with a question that is almost impossible to respond to or that we simply do not know? We give the child a toy or a little car to run off and play with. Children do not understand and they must think we are crazy and completely insane. This is a truck? – is what a three year old would say to himself while holding it in his little fingers. – But I was told that trucks were actually enormous things that make the house rock when they pass by and that they smell like grease and that if you stand in front of them, they will crush you. So this is a truck? Little children have resolved these kinds of dichotomies of the adults. They did not have any other choice. So they tell themselves, that person is older than I am and if he says that it’s a truck, I will call it a truck. What happens when we give a little child a toy truck? Well, everyone knows what obviously happens. The child plays with it for a minute or a minute and a half and then he gets bored of it and throws it on the side. This has been observed and there is an explanation that has little bit deficit disorder. Big brain, small brain. How arrogant and blind we are! We saw exactly what we thought we were going to see. And if we go back and try to contemplate the scene only this time we go back and really see what has taken place?