Titian was a young boy who lived in the mountains of Northern Italy a long time ago. He liked to paint things. He didn’t, however, have the means to paint his thoughts. But, being a smart kid, he never gave up and made his own paints by flicking flowers of various colors and shades, crushing them, and making different paints. His house’s wall became his canvas.
This young boy grew up to become one of Italy’s greatest artists. He rose to fame as Titian. His foresight and never-give-up attitude proved the adage that the child is indeed the father of the man.
The history of this quote dates back to 1802. In his famous 1802 poem, “My Heart Leaps Up,” also known as “The Rainbow,” William Wordsworth used the expression, “The child is the father of the man.” The phrase has succeeded in becoming a part of popular modern culture.
A child’s early talent and vision are excellent predictors of what the child will become when he grows up to be a man. In other words, a child is a mirror of the future of the man he will become. When he becomes a full adult, he would have all of his qualities, whether it is physical talent, mental strength, or spiritual being.
Milton stated the same thing,”
The childhood shows the man,
As morning shows the day.”
The characteristics and habits that a man exhibits are simply the evolution and progression of the characteristics and habits that he exhibited as a small child. When you look closely at a child and observe his characteristics and habits, you can predict what he might become when he grows up and becomes a man.
When you have witnessed the truth of “the child is the father of the man,” it is difficult to question its authenticity. Word for word, it is factual. According to an old proverb, ” As the twig is bent, so the tree will grow.” We can predict how a tree will grow by looking at its foundation. The tree will grow when the young plant is healthy and strong. The same is true for the child.
Children born into families with a history of genetic diseases or moral and mental weaknesses may grow up to be men who carry those diseases or weaknesses in their family genes. All of this has been scientifically proven.
On the other hand, children born into healthy families do have a positive influence on their lives. These positive influences would therefore help them mature into stronger men.
The statement “The child is the father of the man” is proven right by the innumerable men and the women who have become stronger influences as they were expected to become when they were young and promising kids.
Michel Angelo, a well-known painter, and sculptor used to paint and draw on old items such as pots, stools, easels, and so on that belonged to an old painter of his time. According to legend, the old painter predicted that this boy would grow up to be better than him. And the world witnessed how the master’s words came true for Angelo, who went on to become one of the greatest and most famous painters and sculptors of all time.
Another well-known true story is that of Fichte. Fichte, one of the greatest German writers, was once reading an intriguing fictional novel as a child. The book was exciting, but Fichte soon realized that it would be of no use to him in his studies. He threw the book into the river and vowed never to read fiction or made-up stories again. He devoted his time to advanced studies, and the world saw him rise to become one of the greatest and most respected philosophers and scholars of his generation. His childhood inspiration made it all possible.
There are numerous examples of how childhood inspiration and influences shaped the lives of many famous people throughout history. The majority of these famous people would go on to become change agents throughout human history. The early childhoods of people such as Ruskin, Nightangle, Tennyson, Newton, Hawking, and many others paved the way for their adulthood lives.
This statement is true most of the time, but it does not guarantee that it will always be true. Many times, a promising childhood does not translate into a fruitful future life. On the other hand, there are times when children who were thought to be failures grow up to be successful and influential.
For example, Ranade, a well-known Indian jurist, had a difficult childhood. Even his mother would make fun of him by asking if he would be able to provide for his wife if he was ever married. Eventually, this boy rose through the ranks to become a great scholar and the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. His social reforms brought joy to countless Indian families.
In this case, we can conclude that the child was not the father of the man. However, such instances do not render the statement incorrect or false in any way. There may be other examples throughout history that demonstrate that the statement is not always true.
However, despite some clear-cut instances in history, and even some we may notice in our everyday lives, the fact that a child is a mirror to the future of that child. Nature has its own way of defining a person’s development. Multiple factors may be at work in order for someone to deliver on what he promised as a child.
Poverty, lack of education and guidance, diseases, unfortunate incidents, and other innumerable factors, for example, can influence a child’s growth and development and prevent him from reaching his full potential, and he may not be able to live up to all expectations.
The favorable conditions and a child’s perseverance would undoubtedly play a significant role in a child’s ability to deliver on expectations. A lot also depends on how a child is raised. His family, surroundings, learning environment, and community all play an important role. The influences of his early life can change the course of his life.
To be honest, early training and education are extremely important. It is critical to treat children with kindness and love so that they can develop their skills and talents with confidence and grow into adults capable of changing not only their fortunes but also the fortunes of a family, community, and nation.