Recapturing Our Childlike Joy
"The great man is he who does not lose his childlike heart.” Mencius (Chinese Philosopher) 372–289 BCE
I took a walk alone into town on a sunny day and sat down for a few minutes to watch children play at a local park. What joy and innocence! They were squealing with delight, faces flushed from running and eyes wide open with anticipation for their next game of make-believe. I then saw an older girl, maybe 12, more serious than the others. But she smiled at me as she walked past. She’s growing up, I thought, taking on the heaviness and seriousness that being an adult entails for most.
I tried to pinpoint when I had lost the joy of my childhood, that time when laughter was exhilarating and the world was a playground. I would go to sleep with anticipation for the fun I would have with my friends the following day. I realized that the heaviness descended upon me when I began to perceive the world as a frightening place, when I experienced loss, when school became a challenge, and when I wasn’t allowed to be myself because it was considered “wrong” by the well-meaning adults around me: my parents, family, and teachers.
We begin to lose our childhood joy when we become self-conscious, fearful of expressing ourselves. When we bow to the pressures exerted by the mores of our culture, it stifles the soul.
The creatures of the earth are always themselves. Perhaps they can teach us to be.
"Beyond Inspiration" excerpt. Available in Amazon.com
A compilation of musings, affirmative prayers and affirmations that are spiritual but without dogma. It's a handy book to use daily to awaken the sacred within you. Readers have commented that the words soothes, inspires and encourages them to introspect.
@Copyright “Beyond Inspiration" 2012
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