Why do we put so much stock on having kids be mature and having adults be boring?
It just sucks. Really sucks.
What happened to lessons we got as kids to “embrace creativity” and “let your imagination run wild”? It seems like these days, all we do is tell children and adults to grow up, the world is tough, so just look at all things in this one, very boring and conservative, “objective truth”.
Well, in a way, that's true, I and others in my generation kinda need to step up sometime soon.
As in, some time now.
But there's also an inherent joy in having the mindset of a child. To clarify, I don't mean stay immature. Instead, have a sense of wonder when observing the world or when thinking about how the world should work.
Okay just think about it. Why is it that 20 years ago, so many movies and literature were able to predict the future? Now it just seems like we are caught in this cycle of worshipping the past, fearing the future and condemning those who keep their sense of wonder.
Let me give you an example here, how often do you think something was impossible? How many times did you cringe when someone brought up a cartoon they enjoyed? How many times did you stop yourself imagining something wild because it was immature or childish?
As the title implies, there is an importance to maintaining your childlike wonder to the world around us and I’m going to try to make it seem like
I know everything about this.
b) Why do you care if it’s childish?
'If it doesn't hurt anyone, what's the harm right?'
You can see the world through a child's eye, learn new things, be easily satisfied by the small stuff and not be so angry all the time. How AMAZING is that?!
Of course, I'm not preaching to only think like a child. The immaturity in it is what most of society already practice, and look how screwed we are. I'm talking about having imagination, being optimistic about the little things, having the drive and energy to keep moving forward and most of all, being willing to try and accept new things.
If we can apply these things with all the experience and 'maturity' we've gained over the years, progress would be faster and we would be happier overall, wouldn't we? (That's my childlike optimism talking)
If this still doesn't convince you, look at Elon Musk.
Yes, One of the richest and fastest-growing men in the world is also one of the most well-liked public figures. He is full of wild and crazy ideas, optimism and appreciation for the world. So just be like Elon Musk, or keep reading. (Honestly, I would prefer if you kept reading. That would help a lot, thanks)
d) Makes you appreciate the world all over again
I was scrolling through old home videos the other day and found one where my sister and I were exploring the aquarium. While my dad was busy filming us and my mum trying to get us to read the information boards (who reads those anyway?), my sister and I were amazed by all the animals and colours we never get to experience on a daily basis.
The world is wonderful. Unless you have an incredible passion for a subject, chances are, you won’t find it remarkable or interesting.
As we grow older, the pool of our interest shrinks. It shrinks so much that we end up complaining that life is boring and that we feel empty inside. Nothing is interesting because nothing interests us anymore. We feel like we’ve seen it all.
But this can be easily remedied. Treat everything as if you’ve just seen it for the first time, be curious, find out what it’s about and how it works. Or at the least, just let your imagination run wild with it.
Not going to get on my high horse here. Many things don’t interest me, I’m not particularly technical, so don’t really care about cars, chemicals or even robots (yea they are cool and all, but I don’t really care enough to look under the hood). Even so, I’m trying to get better, to learn more and appreciate even the small things around me as if I’m seeing it for the very first time.
a) Opens you up to a whole new world of content & entertainment
Throughout my nostalgia-driven escapade, I found many other videos where we were just celebrating, having fun for no reason at all and living our best lives. We were entertaining ourselves with nothing but our imaginations.
It didn’t just keep us occupied, it heightened the viewing experiences of many other shows. Cartoons and animation have been long thought of as ‘just for kids’.
Yes, many are directed at very young children, but there are many with rich and complex stories. The best part is, they are packaged in a way that pushes your imagination.
And no, I’m not just talking about adult-targeted cartoons like Rick and Morty or South Park. Cartoons such as Avatar the Last Airbender, Steven Universe, Gravity Falls and many others have carved their way to be for all ages.
Recently, “Kids” cartoons are taking things to more mature places, serious and
dark stories that can only be told by this medium.
Well, definitely more mature than shows like Westworld and Riverdale. So take a chance, suspend your disbelief and open yourself to a whole new world of content and entertainment.
c) We can finally practice the lessons we preach to the 'children'
Lastly, we can finally, FINALLY, practice the lessons we preach to children.
‘Be nice to each other’, ‘Share’, ‘Respect others’, ‘Be on time’ and by far my favourite lesson that adults seem to forget ‘Stop being a baby’.
Well, stop being a hypocrite and actually practice what we tell the children to practice. Maintaining a childlike wonder makes that so much easier. No more excuses like ‘I’m too old to change’, ‘Well, I’m justified to be a piece of shit’ and ‘The world is tough’, blah, blah, blah...
YEAH, the world is tough, so why not try our best to make it a little nicer to live in?
If not, why are we spending so much time and resources teaching kids these things? We can just start them with hard facts like how your life is just a series of people using you, how nothing they do will matter, how money will drive their life no matter how much they say it doesn’t, how only a handful of them will actually amount to anything while the rest just barely scrape by.
Why don’t we just tell them that and stop wasting everybody’s time?
Ok, got a little heated at the end there, sorry.
Seriously though, why? Why can’t we just do the things we’ve been constantly repeated to as kids and are now repeating to our kids?
It’s important to maintain your childlike wonder, to be kind, work as a team and respect everyone.
I’ve ranted on long enough, what do I know?
I’m just a someone desperate to keep the world from turning the most colourful parts of my imagination, kindness and curiosity into a mono-coloured nightmare because apparently that is what’s required to be taken seriously.
To be an adult.