When we are young everything id new and we stand in amazement to all the wonders of the world we live in and experience. Then slowly the world we live in begins to lose its wonder or luster and we become slaves to both what our parents taught us and that which we have learned by experience. Our imagination stays as we age but our ability to play within it is either lost or repressed due to our desire to fit in and be a part of the norm. We slowly put away and suppress the child within us, the part of us that found wonder and excitement within all things around us.
When we suppress the child within us we lock away the side of us that is hopeful, creative and the side that knows how to have fun in life. Out of fear or out of the misguided belief one must kill the child within in order to be civilized and responsible we become not older but emotionally colder. We shut down the unconditional fun-loving heart full child god made us.
Yes we must put away childish things but we do not have to put away the part of the child within us that makes us who we are. Innocence does have to leave us for that is the nature of the world, we do have to be responsible, but this does not mean we can not be loving, caring,curious,creative and fun-loving like we were as children.
It is the child within us that loves life, it is the side that sees life is a blessing and full of wonder and which is thankful for the gift of life. So be the responsible adult who can see the world through a child’s eyes and love life and others through a heart like that of a child’s.
Ray Barbier