Innocence is often thought of as something lightweight. It is a precursor, a stage one, a place of purity and naivety. Really, though, innocence is something much more than that. It should not be counted as a stage one…but rather as a place of uncorrupted wisdom.

How can innocence be wise? It is so young, so inexperienced, so new. It isn’t seasoned with the knowledge that time brings…it isn’t weathered by the experiences that life carves into the rock of our mind’s clifftop shores…and it certainly isn’t as accomplished as the legends and sages of old.

But, innocence…

Innocence brings a different type of wisdom. A type of wisdom that could only come from the miraculous divinity that exists beyond the mathematical brilliance which constructs and makes up the matter in this world. It is clear – quite silent, yet not quite a breath…and somehow it still speaks to us. It expects only the best. Only the most logical. Only the most fitting. It does not fear. It loves purely, effortlessly, and without tire.

Innocence knows nothing of war, of sadness, of negative human emotion, of dirty waters or of plagued and polluted society. It sees only above those things…as though it were always at 2000 feet, sailing through the clouds.

Being one who knows only of the best happening, seeing only the good in people, and expecting a bounty of beauty in the form of quiet mist…of wildflowers…of rolling laughter…and of strong hugs…innocence teaches us about ourselves.

Because it wasn’t all that long ago that we ourselves were that innocence. We felt it. We lived it. We knew it.

It may be a deep, long forgotten memory now…but that memory is still a part of us.

And we can see it, again, living on, in our young ones. Those questions…that look of confusion when they don’t understand something that shouldn’t really need to be understood…that never ending outflow of love…that expectation of…

The things that innocence expects. Is it really that naive?

Or have we just grown up?