I am old enough to remember Saturday morning Kung-Fu movies. They would come on and my friends & I would always watch them together. Immediately, after we would try to do all of the moves that we saw in the movies. I think, somewhere in the back of our minds, we knew that the moves were choreographed and probably involved wires and special effects. We didn't care. We tried them anyway, jumping onto beds from the top of cabinets, trying 720 round house kicks in the air. Everything. Somehow, our brain registered what our eye had seen as possible and instructed the rest of the body to attempt these ridiculous maneuvers.
It's funny how humans work. If we see someone do something, we assumed that we too can that. It's true for all ages. I watched my daughter watch a program and right away try to mimic what she saw. She is also now following us, lock step, around the house and doing what she sees us doing. Fast forward to a woman two decades older, I witnessed a woman working at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular standing in hall, peeking through the door and imitating the steps that she was seeing on stage. It also applies to more than dance. It's true for dance, Kung-fu, and even running for office. If we see it, we surmise that we too can do it.
The interesting point comes when we feel that we can do it right away. No training, no practice, just get up and be what we see. Well, unless you have god-given talent, or you're some kind of aberration of nature, we generally can't. But we try anyway. We didn't care that there were men attached to wires that helped them fly from rooftop to rooftop in those movies. We jumped off the cabinet anyway. My daughter doesn't care that the Fresh Beat Band spent hours (kinda) working on their dance moves. She's going to attempt them anyway. A lot of us have no idea what it takes to be elected to public office. But we think we can do it better anyway. And what's even more dangerous, in a more familiar setting, is that we don't care that home improvement guy on TV has the backing of a major network, an unlimited budget, a nearby supply store, AND a crew with dozens of people. We're going to try to redo that kitchen by ourself ANYWAY!
There is no profound message here I think. It's just interesting to me how much power being able to see something has over our desire to go out and do it. Oh wait...there actually IS a lesson! Parents: be good examples for your children. They SEE what you do.
These are my thoughts...what are yours?
4 comments:
It's funny...as I was reading this, my thoughts actually took me to a different place...and lesson.
It seems that when I was a child, like you I tried to mimic and do whatever I found to be fun, interesting, or even impossible.
As I grew older, and you'd think, WISER, I knew - as you stated - that certain things required certain skills, or knowledge, so I stopped trying to do them. But instead, what I should have done, rather than stop trying or attempting, is to LEARN how to do it. Or simply try it anyway.
Children have a certain fearlessness that most people tend to lose into adulthood. It doesn't mean adults should try to do kung fu necessarily, but in the likes of Steve Jobs, attempt to do the impossible...learn more about what fascinates you so that you can achieve mind boggling things. I think we CAN do whatever it is we seek to do, if we simply retain that which we had a child - a fighting, creative spirit of "trying."
Kung Fu what?
You're absolutely right Brooke. That's a part of us that we loose all too soon. I still try to emulate things I see though. It's how I ended up getting better at my photography. I saw photos that others had taken and said to myself "I can do that" and sometimes I did but other times I failed miserably. Either way I tried!
Aisha, just smile and nod...smile and nod...
I love the pure innocence of children and their ability to at least try doing what they see that they like. Too often in today's society with tweens, teens, and adults it's the attitude of "I CAN'T". I wish more people could be like children and at the very least TRY!
Happy New Year!!
Post a Comment