What Are We Missing?

What Are We Missing?

I still remember when I was very young, building a fort in my family's living room out of giant cardboard boxes our Christmas presents had been shipped in that year.  I loved to pretend I was a coyote howling at the moon.  Then, when I had squeezed all I could out of that idea, I tied my blanket around my neck and called myself a superhero. 
To generalize the population, few of us look back on these memories and wish they were different.  We rarely say, "I should have been sillier when I was a child."  If these are such great memories we don't regret, why aren't we the same anymore?  Why aren't we still fascinated with cardboard boxes and blankets?  It seems like an obvious question, but think about it.  Is there a good answer?  I intend to explore this concept more-- what are our favorite qualities from when we were kids, and which are most important?  How have we lost them, and how can they be retrieved?  Were these our true, exposed selves back when we had nothing to hide?

I: My first question to delve into: Which qualities do we wish (or should we wish) we still had?

A vital example I find to respond to this is innocence.  As children, we don't see stereotypical differences in others' age, gender, race, or background.  We don't "judge", and we aren't afraid of judgment in return; so we aren't afraid of doing silly things like dance in the front yard or sing our hearts out in a silent room (both of which are things I did as a five-year-old and would cringe about now).  
Corresponding with this was our fearlessness of mistakes as youngsters, our openness.  We had no fear of embarrassment for a time, because to us, we were just learning.  
We experimented.
Not to knock education these days, but in our brief years before school we weren't exactly taught that honest mistakes are 'wrong'.  If two plus two didn't equal four, it was alright.  We wouldn't be called out for it. 
Another important quality we can learn from children is their excitement for otherwise ordinary things.  This would be considered to us cherishing small things.  I, personally, strive to retain this nature. 
Remember how excited you got when you earned an ice cream cone or got to play with neighborhood friends?  Every day was a new adventure; I rarely remember feeling bored or wishing for something drastically different as a young kid.  As adults and young adults, I feel we go through the motions, to put it as a cliche. 
A final quality of children to ponder is their curiosity.  They're known for asking, "Why?" so many times their parents want to cut off their own ears.  Kids have the whole world in front of them and don't hinder to take hold of it; yet they strive to get answers.  You could scientifically explain the entire process that results in a blue sky, and they may still reply with, "Why?"  
As adults, we stop at this scientific explanation.  We assume that's where it ends-- but what if we were to keep going?  Curiosity these days can be seen as an annoyance, when it's the very thing that makes us creative, imaginative, and inventive.

II: Just why do we lose this?

Let's touch a little more on just how these qualities seem to slowly deteriorate in some of us as we get older.  
On the contrary to a child's lack of judgmental assets, adults have a way of thinking they must have some sort of rank in the world.  Eventually, whether we like it or not, we will see others as competition at one point or another.  When we become selfish, we judge others to feel better about ourselves (nothing new).  Sometimes at first glance, sometimes after learning something previously unknown about them.  We're all guilty of this fault.
Pertaining to a young child's fearlessness, we begin to learn about embarrassment as we grow.  Personally, my absolute worst fear used to be embarrassment.  That's the biggest factor that took away the happy-go-lucky kid I used to be.  That first time someone looks at us strangely or tells us we're different can change everything.
Thirdly is a child's way of being amazed by certain things.  In my opinion, this is a very important quality to have in order to lead a happy and optimistic lifestyle.  However, the older we get, the more experiences we go through, and the bigger the opportunities we have.  Things such as ice cream cones become the norm, tiny and insignificant.  
We are more often exposed to things we once found incredible.
We learn what makes the world spin, so we are no longer fascinated by it.
Finally, why do we lose the curiosity we had so much of as kids?  I commented on this earlier, but I think we've grown up in a world that wants to be very accommodating-- and excessive questions are looked on as a burden.  
Another strong opinion on this subject I've come to hold is the fact that adults want to feel like the ones who have the answers; with that, it's easy to forget there is still so much we don't understand.

III: So, can we gain them back?

I believe there's an array of ways that we can.
To regain innocence, to stop being so judgmental, we can start by becoming more selfless.  Making an effort to put others first, not see them as competition, and see everyone as equal is extremely important, but harder than it may seem.  It's something that I find must be nurtured and worked on as often as possible.
Secondly, corresponding with becoming fearless, a major factor is being comfortable with yourself.  This is something I learned best a few years ago, and am still learning.  The more comfortable and confident you are, the less afraid of embarrassment you tend to be.  When this happens, it's so much easier to open up; in terms of personal experience, I feel much more like myself. 
Now, I can't think of a way to embrace the world the way a child does other than...doing just that.  We should cherish every moment in life, especially as we grow older, as we never know how much time is left.  Realize how incredible our world is, and see the simplest things as luxuries that make us extremely fortunate.  Every day will come as a blessing.
Finally, in order to retain the curiosity we once had, to stop worrying about being right and asking more questions, we must first admit we're human.  We can't be afraid to be wrong, which is hard.  
Wisdom doesn't always come with intelligence; we don't have to have every answer to be 'smart' or the higher man. Humble yourself and see the world as a piece of art: an incredible, intricate thing to be explored with thousands of corners yet to be discovered.

In conclusion:

Some of our best moments are from childhood.  Having the mindset of a child is, to me, crucial-- lessening ourselves and seeing everyone as equal, embracing the world and loving adventure.
It's one of the most incredible things we can use our brains and hearts to do in our lives.  It's what makes it worth living. 
We do ourselves no good by underestimating this, or worse yet, throwing it away.

Comments are open to discussion, debate, and suggestions.