Save the Innocence!!

A few days back I went out for ice-cream with my family. But to my disappointment, I couldn’t enjoy it. A small child hardly 5 or 6 years old came to my father’s side of the window. He was very cute, with pink cheeks, hair made up just right; not to mention his clothes were nice and clean. I was just wondering what he was doing there when to my horror, he lifted his hand. He had a handful of pencils; he was selling them. In the third world that we live in, child labor is something very common. We see it every day around us, we have partially become numb to it. But this child here, he was so darn cute, his eyes so bright, his smile so innocent… those pink cheeks, and the way he held out those few pencils to my father, it really broke my heart. I could not have imagined a neat kid like him could be out selling stuff near midnight. I could not help but shed tears. I asked my father to give him some money. You know what the child did? He refused to take the money for nothing; he wanted to exchange them for pencils only. We bought some, and he went away happily. I felt a little happy about the way this little child had known the ethical difference between earning his living or begging for it. Obviously he learnt this from his parents who obviously, then, have morals. God knows in what terrible condition they might be in that forced them to send their beloved child out like this. Simply tragic.

Among other things that I hate being in a third world country is seeing our children withering away like that. What with all the over population, high illiteracy rate, unemployment; and on top of that, the new financial crisis the world is facing now, the poor being its first victims. Why can’t the government do something about these innocent babies at least!! Frustration and anger rises in me when I see their helpless eyes… They did not deserve a life so miserable in any case!

Employing children as waiters, servants, mechanics, making them do everything that their tender hands are not yet ready to do; they are forced to grow up, forced to forget their chance on a happy carefree childhood, while others like them get education, are cared for and provided for. But these poor children learn the harsh realities of life before their young minds can even understand them; and earning the very hard way those grown-ups do. These children are treated brutally in many cases, including sexual abusing and harassing. When their soft, tiny, unskilled hands cannot learn a particular skill, they are mistreated, beaten up, cursed… And they grow up in fear.

It’s sad on the part of humanity how we choose to spend a fortune on our own luxuries and life style. We always have to have the latest iPod, the latest laptop, the Nokia model that’s just about to hit the market and make it big time. For what, guys?? Yes I completely understand it can be that one wants to be up to date and all, one must be style conscious. Even I spend like that, I'm one of you all. But, let’s just put ourselves aside for one moment; think of all the good you can do for anyone who is in need. The money we’re soon going to spend on that new Nokia model can feed so many hungry mouths. And yes, like I said before in one of my posts, a good deed always comes back. If one is wealthy, they can choose to help out a family and maybe do some significant good to it that lasts as well.

The whole idea of this post is to ask you, the readers, to do a little something for these children. There are countless ways in which we can make life a little easier for them if we put our minds and hearts to it. To start with, there are so many related causes available on the Internet that one can join. You can donate money if you can afford it. If not anything, then you can promote this cause by the very special gift of writing power you, my blogger friends, are blessed with. Come on, let’s do something for these little angels. Let us make life seem a little bit easier for them. Trust me, in the end when you’re done, just their mere smiles will be so worth it!

I remember one of Michael Jackson’s ever loved songs…

There comes a time when we heed a certain call

When the world must come together as one

There are people dying

And it’s time to lend a hand to life

The greatest gift of all

We can’t go on pretending day by day

That someone somewhere will soon make a change

We are all part of God's great big family

And the truth, you know, love is all we need

We are the world, we are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day

So let’s start giving

There’s a choice we're making

We’re saving our own lives

It’s true we’ll make a better day

Just you and me

Send them your heart

So they’ll know that someone cares

And their lives will be stronger and free

As God has shown us by turning stones to bread

So we all must lend a helping hand

We are the world, we are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day

So let’s start giving

There’s a choice we're making

We’re saving our own lives

It’s true we’ll make a better day

Just you and me

Enjoy the winter season ahead, and take very good care of yourselves and those around you.

Happy blogging!

Hugs~~

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picture courtesy: deviantART