10 year old Ishita Katyal is one of many examples of children in our current generation who are already providing leadership and provoking inspiration in our world.
I risk pedestalizing her — she is still a human being and don’t want to take that way from her. Yet, hearing her words immediately illustrates that a self-actualized, self-empowered outlook need not occur till one is older. Living a purposeful life need not wait till we’ve completed all of life’s stages. Maturity need not happen only after a certain level of life experiences.
We’ve seen child prodigies in previous generations…but it seems that this current generation has not just younger ones exceptionally talented in a certain skill, but truly wise, mature beings who, given a certain level of self-empowerment, are right now taking their place as leaders in the world.
Definitely not all of us are blessed with supportive, empowering people in their life like Ishita has. I know I’ve faced (and still face) a degree of scorn and ridicule on my journey by close members — and many or most of us have had less than ideal upbringings. We’ve each had our own challenges and life path (with its own important, necessary flavor). But that said, Ishita represents the potential for humanity and the potential of wisdom to shine forth at any time in our lives.
I have to say that in my life, time and time again, I find maturity of thought and spirit in people of all ages, especially younger people. Time and time again my prejudice on judging others based on their age gets ripped apart the moment I sink into a sincere dialog with them. I am continuously forced to re-evaluate what self-development really consists of, and ultimately what it entails to provide value to the world right this moment.
(Thanks Balarama R. for sharing this video.)
Ranjeeth Thunga
rkt@perspectivemapper.com