This morning my kids and I watched about 45 minutes of a DVD I have. It’s a show called Powaqqatsi. A film that features only images along with a beautiful and mostly non-lyrical soundtrack. I had seen her in an arthouse when it first came out and it was recently available on DVD, so I bought it along with her mother, KOYAANISQATSI, who I remembered was somewhat violent.

It was interesting to hear what Zanna, my 5-year-old daughter, had to say after the show. Keep in mind, this is a kid who has watched maybe 10 hours of TV in THEIR ENTIRE LIFE.

I turned on the camera just to record sound and here is the dialogue verbatim with Zanna speaking in quotes and mine NOT in quotes. A lot of my questions were purposely directed at trying to get more out of her.

I was amazed at the depth of feelings and thoughts that the images evoked in her. Enjoy this glimpse into a five-year-old’s view of the world.

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“Mom, I think those people are better than us”

Because?

“They have to work for everything and they work hard. We just GET everything and we don’t have to do much at all.”

Why do you think that is?

“Because we are spoiled. We already have everything. We have roofs on our houses. We can turn on the faucet and have water. They have to walk in the dust for long, long ways carrying the water on their heads. All we have to do is turn it on in the cook or fill our bottles at the health food store.

Don’t you think they have a natural foods store?

“No. They don’t even have a regular store. They don’t have anything”

So how, if they have nothing, can they be better than us?

“Because THEY HAVE NOTHING. They’re just busy. They work all day, together, everyone helping everyone. Even little kids like Zynnia (her 2-year-old sister) would carry things, heavy things to help people.”

Yes, I saw that, but I still don’t understand why or how that would make you say that they are ‘better people’.

“They don’t spoil themselves with too much. We have everything and we’re spoiled because I never carried anything heavy.”

Do you want me to give you heavy things to carry?

“I would like to help. I would like to work. I would like to help everyone!”

Yes, but the people we saw on the show work very hard, from the time the sun rises to the time it goes down. Then they lie down on a simple mat, like the one we take to the beach and sleep in their home without a roof. Imagine if it rains!

“They would get wet. At least they would wash their house and not have to work on it! They must be too tired to play, that’s why the children’s eyes were very sad. Mom, how come the children looked so? too old?”

I don’t understand – they were small… what do you mean?

“They looked older… They didn’t look like me (5) or Zachary (his brother who is 10).”

They live in a different world. They have seen other things. Their lives are hard. Maybe it will make them more adult.

“I don’t think it makes them adults. I think it makes them smarter. They seemed smarter. Their eyes were very smart. They’ve only seen adult stuff.”

Do you think watching adult stuff makes you smart?

“Adult things make you know more.”

I think you know a lot! I think you are very smart too.

“Yeah, but the kids on the show are smarter. They know about other things.”

Yes, I’m sure they do. I’m still not sure why you would say they are better people. I think we are all equal.

“No. That’s not true. We are not the same. We are spoiled with all our dolls and toys. We eat all day and they wait all day for some seeds. Our bird probably gets more seeds than they do. We have everything and they have nothing It’s not fair. Can we give them some of our stuff?

What would you like to give people?

“All our stuff. We don’t need it.”

What do we need?

To each other, to work, some plates and a rope.

That’s all? What about my computer? Daddy’s tools? Our bed? All your clothes? Our smoothie blender? What about our car?

“We don’t need all that. The pipas (young coconut) in Costa Rica taste better than dad’s milkshake and we don’t need the blender for that. I have so many dolls that I don’t play with any of them anymore.” . I can’t choose which one, so I don’t play any. I’m spoiled!

I think you’re a fine young lady and I don’t think you’re spoiled at all.

“But I have everything I want, more than everything, and it’s not fair and I like to walk everywhere. I wish we didn’t have a car.”

Because it’s not fair?

“Because they have nothing and we have everything. We have too much.”

Did they look happy or sad that they had nothing?

“They looked like the Mayan children in Belize. They seemed happy. Remember when we drove by and everyone smiled and waved at us? Remember how they hugged us when we were in town on the ferry? I really liked them. Everyone was so nice to me Remember the doll we made with the long leaves.”

Earlier you said they looked sad.

“It’s another sad one. Maybe they don’t look sad…they just look different with their eyes. They see other things. They see things that are different. Uh…I can’t put it the right way (getting frustrated that she can’t find the words… so I interrupted her)

I know what you’re saying. The children we met in the Mayan villages were very nice children.

“I miss them. I miss sleeping with the screen windows and listening to the jungle outside. In this house we always hear traffic. All we hear is noise. It’s too noisy in here. I don’t hear the birds. I don’t hear I don’t hear the waterfall. I miss washing clothes in the river and play tag with those kids. I don’t like it here. I don’t want to keep going to the post office, going to the grocery store, going, going, always going. It’s too noisy in here, and too fast all the time.”

But won’t you miss your grandmother? The things we do here? Won’t you miss going to the health food store, the organic farm?

“Yes, but she can come visit us and we do much better things there. Everything there is just like the farm. We don’t even have to drive to the farm there, we can just pick and eat the pipes and leaves that Patrick showed us everywhere.” parts there. Everything is fine there.”

Yes. I like it there too. But won’t you miss all your things?

“No.”

What should we do with it? You said you’d like to give it to the children there. Is that what you would like to do?

“No. Then they’ll be pampered like us. I like it better when they play with the rocks and leaves and the running games.”

I still don’t think you’re spoiled. When I think of the world gone to waste, I think of a child who is crying to get what he wants, stomping like that, whining like that, and being hard to reason with. That’s what I always thought pampered meant. (going through the motions to demonstrate)

“No. Everyone here is spoiled, even when they don’t do that. Everything is too fast and too easy. Nobody has to work for anything, they just go and buy it. Everyone here is always buying more, more, more stuff.” .”

Maybe they need it.

“Why would they need more and more stuff?”

I don’t know, but maybe they will…

“No mom, they are pampered and so are we when we live here.”

Are we spoiled when we are in Belize or Costa Rica?

“No. We’re happier. We’re happier when we don’t have too much.”

So, people who are spoiled are not happy?

“No. They think they’re happy because they’re always getting more, but getting more doesn’t make you happy. You’re only happy for a few minutes and then it’s gone and you just want more again. When you’re pampered you’re NEVER happy.”

You seemed very happy when you opened your Christmas presents…

“I was happy, but only for a while. I don’t even play with those presents anymore. I always have a stomach ache at Christmas.”

Maybe you ate too much of the sweets and food we had prepared.

“No, it’s because there were too many things. Too much food, Too many presents. I don’t like Christmas here.”

Where do you like Christmas?

“I want to have Christmas in Costa Rica as my birthday. I didn’t get any presents and it was the best day ever!”

Why was it the best day ever?

“Because we just had fun together. We played and ran on the beach and Zachary climbed up the tree and got the sweet seeds. Mom, why are they so cold inside when they come out of the tree and not out of the fridge?”

I don’t know, why do you think?

Maybe God wanted us to cool down, so he made the skin really thick and keeps the heat from the sun out.”

Sounds good to me.

“I liked that show, Mom.”

You did it? However, some parts looked very sad, at least that’s what she thought. Many of those people looked so hungry and tired…

“Yes, they did, but that’s life. (Shrug)”

That’s life, right? Why do you say that…

“Because it is.”

Isn’t life running errands, shopping, eating out, and playing?

“Sometimes, but it’s also working and seeing things”

See things like what?

“Like the show. Seeing things we don’t see all the time.”

I do not understand why?

“So we can see how other people live.”

Do you think more people should watch shows like this?

“I think everyone should see this show because it shows what it’s like in places that aren’t here.”

But we live here, and here it is different.

“But it’s not real here.”

The post office is real, the health food store is real…or did I dream yesterday of buying those avocados? No… I see them there on the table…

(Zanna laughing) “That’s not what I mean.”

What do you mean?

“I don’t know… You know, mom, you’re kidding me! You know what I mean!”

You’re right… I know. I think you are very smart and I love you!

“I love you too… I’m going to color those children and the beautiful lady in the flowing silk dress…”

Alright. I’m going to wash the dishes…

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I have not added to or built on any of this – the above is 100% verbatim of what my five year old just shared with me. I am amazed that she is so observant, so “accurate” in her notice of what the film is trying to show. As I sit here and write this listening to his voice and emotion on the recording, I wonder how many 5 year olds have such WISDOM? Actually, I wonder how many people of ANY age have such wisdom. How many people actually OBSERVE the messages, the subtleties, the obvious?

I am so grateful to my children and feel very proud right now for making the parenting decisions I have made that I know have positively influenced who they are becoming.

The next time your five-year-old wants to share, why not turn off the TV, step away from the computer, leave the cell phone in the other room, and just LISTEN to the wisdom he or she can bless you with?