Genuine innocence is intensely attractive. I have found this in only two sets of people: small kids and saints. Almost everyone else in between has to work through the heavy societal conditioning that comes to us through our work, careers, families, expectations, wealth, hierarchy, etc. Almost any interpersonal relationship will enforce some operative boundaries within which one has to operate. And this has the effect of “practicality” to be suffused in one’s personality. It is a necessary evil, for there is no way around it. But that doesn't stop me from exactly appreciating the source of innocence and enjoying its flavor whenever I can. And that is what this post is about.
When I observe kids, I see that they have no experience with what is good or bad. Thus, each expression of theirs is an expression of freedom! Recently, I read a lot about Ramana Maharishi and Ramakrishna, the two most celebrated saints from India in the past century. They both demonstrated childlike innocence. Just reading about their lives shows how much freedom they enjoyed while living. Is the freedom from these two sets the same? A resounding NO!
The innocence of a child comes from inexperience, the innocence of a saint from wisdom, and the rest of the world's drudgery from ignorance born of relative experiences.
The day a friend didn’t reciprocate the same way I reciprocated for them is when a person realizes that not all connections are equal. And thus, we now shy away or put a lot of thinking before helping or being vulnerable to someone. There is nothing wrong with this, for this is how we become worldly-wise. But it did kill an act that we would have done if that experience hadn’t happened to us. So now we calculate our moves before acting. Being continuously reprimanded and rewarded in the world, we gain experiences and use them to try to succeed or to keep ourselves peaceful and mentally sane. And that is the story for most of us.
Fine. What is new in this?
Well, would you not want to gain your childhood innocence back? The state where the memories of heartaches and sufferings did not tarnish your mind! I know many people who are going through various states of mental illnesses, and they would trade places with their curious selves back when they were kids until a childhood trauma happened, thus drastically creating such dark spots in their minds that they succumb to depression almost every day! Oh, there is a reason why people who kill themselves shoot directly at their heads. They want to shut down the mind, which is going on and on and on.
Any sane adult should not pass on opportunities like these.
But how? How can we cultivate innocence and curiosity? These are the questions that one must ask oneself. This is the direction of thought that has to be brought more in the light. And being worldly-wise is not the answer. One would need direction from someone who has already done this. This is where the lives of saints are an essential document that should be used as a yardstick to see what kinds of thoughts we entertain. We must work our way towards those worth cultivating and be harsh against the sources of those that only bring drudgery in us in the long run.
This is a task that one has to do through meticulous hard work.
This post reminded me of an occasion when I was in travel with some of my friends in my state, Chhattisgarh.
Coincidentally we were crossing through a village where relatives of one of the guy traveling with us lived.
And we went on to visit those people.
They were old people our grandparent's age living on their own in a small cozy house with bare minimum belongings. ( Though some other relatives lived in neighbourhood too, and who in need looked after them)
We entered the home and were met with such warmth and gleeful smiles that it just filled and spilled my heart with all the love I could feel coming from them.
There wasn't any sugar coated overly polite words or gestures that is so common nowadays I see.
It was rather just pure affection for a guest, such innocence and such purity. I say you combine the bliss of paying the holiest of the holy places on plant and still it won't be close to it.
They didn't feedback is any fancy food, or made us sit in some very aesthetic, expensive guest room.
Some of us were standing all the time, or sitting on normal plastic chair. The house was partly made of wood and mud and partly cemented.
I definitely remember drinking water and not able to recollect if we are any snacks or tea.
But I will never forget the genuine, innocent warmth both of them showed on all the strangers who paid them unannounced visit.
* paying visit to the holiest of the holy places in planet
* They didn't feed us