There is in every child at every stage a new miracle of vigorous

“There is in every child at every stage a new miracle of vigorous unfolding, which constitutes a new hope and a new responsibility for all.” Thus spoke Erik Erikson, the great thinker of the soul’s growth, whose eyes saw not only the outer steps of human life, but the inner seasons of becoming. His words ring with the power of revelation—that childhood, in all its fragile wonder, is not a simple passage of years, but a sacred journey of continual awakening. In each moment of a child’s unfolding, Erikson reminds us, there lies both a miracle and a duty: a miracle in the boundless potential of new life, and a duty in the call it places upon all who guide, teach, and love.

To understand this saying, one must first know the spirit from which it was born. Erikson was not only a psychologist, but a philosopher of the human spirit. He observed that life unfolds in stages, each one demanding courage, trust, and growth. The child, he saw, does not simply “grow older.” They pass through sacred thresholds, each bringing forth a new aspect of the soul—the trust of infancy, the will of early childhood, the imagination of play, the identity of youth. Every stage, he said, is a new miracle of vigorous unfolding—a living proof that humanity is not fixed but ever in motion, always reaching toward greater wholeness.

His words also remind us that this unfolding is not the work of the child alone. Each new miracle brings a new hope and a new responsibility for all. It is not the child who bears the weight of their becoming—it is the world that must make space for it. Every parent, teacher, and elder shares in this divine task: to protect the flame of curiosity, to nurture confidence, to help each soul discover its light. When we fail to do so, the unfolding weakens; when we succeed, the child becomes not only themselves, but a beacon for humanity’s future. Thus, to honor a child’s growth is to honor the unfolding of the human race.

Consider the story of Maria Montessori, who, like Erikson, devoted her life to the miracle of childhood. In a time when children were treated as empty vessels to be filled, she looked deeper and saw the living intelligence within them—the drive to explore, to order, to create. She gave them freedom, tools, and respect, and watched as they blossomed in ways the world had never imagined. The miracle, she discovered, was not hers to impose but theirs to reveal. This is the meaning of Erikson’s wisdom: the miracle exists in the child already—it is our responsibility to guard it, not to shape it by force.

And yet, the words “vigorous unfolding” carry a deeper message still. Erikson does not speak of a fragile flower, but of a vital strength, a force of nature within the human spirit that pushes toward life even through hardship. The child who learns to walk after falling a hundred times, the youth who seeks purpose amid confusion—these are not small acts, but expressions of the will that animates all creation. To witness such perseverance is to see the divine pulse that beats within humanity itself. In every child, life begins anew; in every stage, the world is reborn.

But with every miracle comes the shadow of neglect. Too often, society forgets this sacred truth. It hurries the child, burdens the youth, silences the imagination, and calls it maturity. In doing so, it extinguishes the very hope Erikson speaks of—the hope that each generation will unfold a little further toward wisdom and compassion. When we forget that the child is a miracle, we lose faith in the future. When we remember, we become co-creators in the endless renewal of the world.

And so, O listener of this teaching, take this wisdom to heart: to nurture a child is to shape eternity. Whether that child is of your body, your classroom, or your community, see in them not merely a smaller being, but a sacred unfolding of life itself. Watch with reverence as they grow; guide with gentleness, not control. Offer them both roots and wings—the safety to rest and the courage to rise. For in every child there lies not only their own destiny, but the hope of all mankind.

Therefore, let your actions be worthy of that hope. When you see a child, see the miracle. When you teach, do so with patience; when you discipline, do so with love; when you listen, do so with your whole heart. For the child’s unfolding is not theirs alone—it is the unfolding of humanity’s soul. And if we guard that miracle with care, then the world, generation by generation, shall continue to blossom with the light of new beginnings.