Sympathy for one’s fellow animals.

Sometimes, it is the quality of a personality that impresses – particularly in the emotions in they feel for others and what drives those emotions.

Yesterday, Tiarnan was watching a programme on National Geographic Channel, about deadly snakes. One particular snake was shown swallowing a rat whole. Tiarnan watched this with rapt attention and leant forward a little.

“So sad.” He said, with a voice rich in feeling. “So sad.”

I said nothing but simply hugged him to me, with my right arm.

Again, the snake was shown eating a rat. “So sad.” He remarked again.

His mother Syahidah was surprised at this reaction. “That is a rat, Tiarnan.”

“No. It is not. They are nice.”

We both were touched by his sympathy towards this furry victim.

He paused for a moment and then said: “It is not a rat. It is a mouse.”

We didn’t argue the point. What was important was that he actually cared about his fellow creature and what happened to them. He felt genuine sadness to see the “mouse”, eaten whole.

This reaction of Tiarnan impressed me because too often, people nowadays seem to care little for their fellow man – or their fellow creatures. Yet, Tiarnan is able to feel genuine sympathy for his fellow creature – however small that creature may be, in the scheme of things.

What a sweetie Tiarnan is.

Posted by Valentine Cawley

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Tiarnan's emotional responses

We live in Singapore. It is a city-state of modest proportions, but great ambitions. As you might expect, it is getting relatively crowded, being a small island with four and a half million people.

A couple of days ago, we were in a taxi being driven through town, with Tiarnan, nineteen months, in the car. He was sitting with his mother, looking backwards, as the car moved ahead. Suddenly, he pointed out of the window, and grinned toothily- his big smile revealing each of his small front teeth, his nose wrinkling up as it always did when he was most happy.

We looked where he had pointed and saw a big expanse of green: nothing more than that - just a patch of grass and trees, battling for survival in the middle of a spreading city. Looking at the green and looking at his smile, I was immediately struck by how great his response to it was: he was really happy to see a patch of living plant life, clambering up a mound of earth by the roadside.

He has shown a love of nature before, but it is becoming more clear that he really loves nature. Many little children wouldn't even notice the presence of grass and trees - but Tiarnan picks them out as worthy of special notice and smiles, abundantly, at their presence. He actually responds emotionally to nature: seeing it makes him happy.

Given Tiarnan's love of nature and Fintan's love of animals, perhaps we should be living in the countryside, and not a city. Or at least, we should make sure they spend more time amidst grass, trees and four legged friends.

I wonder at the future world they will grow up in. The global trend appears to be towards ever larger cities and ever greater encroachments upon nature. Will there be much less of the type of world our children love, when they become self-determining adults? I hope not. It would be a pity if Tiarnan were not to have something to smile about, everyday.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged seven years and nine months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and two months, and Tiarnan, nineteen months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)