Books For Special Situations:

Is Greed a Problem? Introduce King Midas

 

            Teachers today will occasionally share concerns that the next generation of children are strikingly self-centered, obnoxiously materialistic, and downright greedy.

 

It could be the TV culture, when everybody can see what everybody else has, and naturally, it makes Group A want what Group B has, too.

 

Or it could be "guilt buying" by parents who give their children too much stuff in an attempt to make amends for being away from them so many hours of the day, working, or to try to mitigate the effects of divorce.

 

            Whatever the cause, if children are selfish and obsessed with material possessions and toys, the antidote may be a great old story, "The Golden Touch," about King Midas. With a few simple questions, you can disclose a child's greed to him or her indirectly, and make a lot of headway toward putting that child on a more generous path in life.

 

The best King Midas version to read aloud is from The Wonder Book by that great American author from the 1800s, Nathaniel Hawthorne.

 

            King Midas dates back to the ancient Greek myths. But the lessons in this simple yet meaningful story pack a punch: he got so cuckoo about money that a mysterious stranger granted him "the golden touch." Anything he touched turned into pure gold.

 

            That was the good news. The BAD news was, he couldn't eat anything because it turned into gold, he couldn't drink anything for the same reason, and when he tried to hug his little girl, he turned HER into a golden statue, too.

 

            The story ends with King Midas admitting that the best things in life are free, that he was wrong to be greedy, and that gold wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Happily, everything was restored to him.

 

            That's a lesson we could all gain from hearing again. In fact, it's a truth that is . . . golden. 

            By Susan Darst Williams • www.AfterSchoolTreats.com • Reading • © 2010