The Human Experience

We are born and we experience existence here on earth. We have other people around us. We are fed, our diapers are changed; we are bathed and dressed and rocked to sleep. We are instinctively driven to communicate and move around. We cry when we are uncomfortable hungry or in pain. We smile when we are delighted and laugh when we are amused and tickled. When we see things for the first time we are curious and amazed. With the care and attention of the big people, we are happy and anxious to experience each day.

We become familiar with our surroundings, we look out the windows, we look at the walls and ceilings and floors and all the things in our room. We are carried around to see beyond our room to all the rooms in our house and outside in the yard and we travel in cars and see more things. We see trees and grass and flowers and the sky and the sun. We see the moon and stars and the dark at night.  

We learn sounds from the big people and learn names and words.  We crawl and try to stand and then we walk.  We know our name and the names of the big people and the names of things.  We know how different things taste and we are told “no” and “be careful” by the big people we now know are our parents and other relatives. We listen to them and follow their instructions to keep from hurting ourselves.  

We can remember things like learning to crawl at 3 months and stand at 6 months and walk at 9 months for a while, but at 1 year old we are experiencing more than we can process and we love it.  By age 2, we have experienced enough surprises to develop a long-term memory and can recall some of those experiences.  We have family pictures to trigger and confirm these memories. By age 3, we have learned the names of more people and things can ask questions and keep learning. By age 4, we have been talking, reading words, learning numbers, drawing things, learning to do things and getting ourselves dressed.

We may start recognizing our interests and our love of doing certain things. We may learn to love music, art and the beauty of nature and may enjoy learning how to read and write and draw.  We will use all of these experiences to choose how we will live and what type of work we will do.

As we reflect on our experiences, we must be awed by the beauty of our world and its position in our galaxy. We must be impressed by the intricacy of nature and the elegance of the design of all creation. We were taught by our parents that God created us along with all creation and that we are here for a purpose. We can only hope that we will fulfill that purpose. I remain grateful for the opportunity to exist, and to reflect on that existence.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader