The other day I saw a small child, not more than three years old, standing in front of an ATM (cash dispensing machine). She was standing on tip-toe and reaching up. In her hand was a folded bank note, which she was trying to feed into the slot intended for a bank card. My heart melted upon seeing such innocence.
Sometimes I would love to see the world through the eyes of a child. As grown ups, we like to think that we know it all, that we have a logical, rational understanding of the world. But in a way, the child’s view is more coherent.
After all, why is it that pieces of paper come out of a machine but don’t go into it? What is the difference between the plastic that goes in and the paper that comes out? And why do some pieces of paper get crumpled up and discarded, whilst others are neatly stashed away in a wallet?
Over the millennia, we have constructed hugely complex systems of social interaction. These systems often rely on us all agreeing, implicitly, to assign arbitrary values to things. There is nothing wrong in that. However, it is salutary to be reminded, once in a while, by a small child, that it is all arbitrary. These manmade artefacts and protocols have a certain utility but they are not what is really important.
Thank you, small child!
