The Kids Are Playing Outside

I can hear the sound of laughter, of children playing, of happiness. It’s like joyous youth in a can. I don’t know what they are up to, and as long as they are not in danger, who really cares? The sound is kids, outside, enjoying the green fields and the gardens and nature. It sounds like the olden days, sounds like years gone by, the times of yore. Maybe in the village, here, surrounded by forest in the vast Polish countryside, the modern cyber network has not grasped, drugged, hypnotised and conquered a whole generation of youth, like some impossible-to-combat plague. These kids are free to roam and explore and breathe and develop, in a manner not manipulated. The trees and creatures of the forest, the wood that heats the homes and water, the food, the method of cooking, so many elements of village life, all impacting on the young lives of these children, all stealing them from the torturous cyber universe.

I lived in the suburbs of the city as a child. I had a dream, of trees, and space in which to roam and uncover the gems of nature. Fast forward all these years and here I am, surrounded by forest, some eternal green network of God’s wonder. It’s intoxicating and all-consuming. The noise, the voices, the yells of joy and surprise and fun, it all makes perfect sense. Some lucky kids live here, knowing not they have some priceless thing that city kids don't. Long may they go out into the streets and fields and play, maybe even learn about the trees and plants and flowers that grow all around them, filling gaps and painting the scenery so beautifully. I reckon this is what childhood should be like, this is what has a soul and might just mean a kid grows up a little unoccupied by the city, and its financial pull, the drugging. But, it will probably win in the end. It's not a bad way to start the days. Long may the kids laugh! Long live the forest, indeed.