Child Like

Young children are amazing. The wonder when they see, touch, hear or taste something for the very first time is marvellous. Sheer joy in their exploration even if that wonder is only momentarily. Go to any under 6 or under 8 game whether its GAA, Soccer or Rugby and you will see it. Kids playing with no fear. Happy to be there. Enjoying the moment and fully engaged with what they are doing. Having real fun with their friends. As adults, we reminise. “Wouldn’t it be great to be that age again. They have no worries. They are so lucky. Long may it last.”

So what changes when we become adults? Why do we lose this child like behaviour. Why all of a sudden do we feel we need to worry about life so much. Constantly in a state of fear. Anxious. Over thinking everything. Feeling like we have no time. Worried about lack of money and overdue bills. Sure, these are all things kids don’t have to worry about it. But is that really it? Does it need to be THAT hard to be an adult….

Identifying with the egoic mind is the answer to these questions. Young children are just in their formative years, and they haven’t yet formed the illusion of the false self. i.e. They are not trying to find themselves through what they do or say, or even how they look. They don’t differentiate between rich and poor.. They just be. They just be their true selves and this brings enormous freedom, joy and bliss.

But this inevitably changes as we grow older and in many ways it is part of the journey we must all go through to find our way back to our true selves. In the toddler years, it started with a toy. Many toddlers become very upset when a toy is taking away from them because they have identified with that toy. It is now a material possesion thay they have started to identify as “mine”. The ego is now happily at work. Toddlers become upset because to the ego in them (or false self) the toy has brought them fun and joy, and without that toy the ego (false self) in them feels lessened and cannot be happy without it.

As we get older, this obsession builds and builds as we move through our teenage years and into young adulthood. Instead of a toy, it becomes brands, relationships, exams. careers, houses, and cars. In fact, anything you can think of and not neccessarily materilistic.

What’s the lesson? To be more child like in enjoying the moment and being fully engaged in everything we do. We don’t need any of those adults toys to be truly happy.