Maia just recently turned one year old. She does not speak yet except through a few syllables, like ‘mah mah’, ‘dah dah’, ‘tah’. And yet she is very good at communicating. She knows how to tell us how she feels and what she wants. She understands when we tell her something. For the most part, we feel each other for meaning and understanding. An inter-cardiactivity that enables understanding and communication without words.
And Maia is all goodness. She brings us so much joy. What she does may seem typical of what toddlers her age do but she is one of a kind. Indeed, babies are ‘factory-fresh’. They smell of the place they came from. Hate, anger, greed, envy – all come later and are learned. They are not part of the original product. Often. I think and believe that all we have to do is to get in touch with the child in us, to rediscover and regain the innate goodness in all of us.
Goodness and kindness are not the monopoly of Christians or of believers. In fact, a sense of the sacred has been with man since he first stood awe-struck in wonderment at the presence of some ineffable mystery – just like a wondering child. I try to imbibe all this goodness and kindness every day. I start my day in silent prayer to feel and be aware of this sacred presence in my life.