On Childhood and Disenchantment
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Children see the world in a different way. Many of us have lost that sense of wonder.
Big Ideas
1/ Disenchantment
Childhood is a series of disenchantments in which we progress from one innocent belief to a harsher reality.
As children, we question the nature of the world, experience the breathless infatuation of first love, and imagine fantastical worlds and events in our heads.
Gradually, we stop asking questions — accepting instead what others tell us. Love takes a back seat to practicality. Imagination and creativity give way to matters of consequence.
2/ Matters of Consequence
We busy ourselves with matters of consequence — wealth, power, status, routine, and other things society deems important.
In doing so, we stop paying attention to what really matters.
The world begins to seem complicated. We find ourselves longing for an idealized version of a simpler past.
Funny how we seek to escape our childhood prisons but end up in new ones.
3/ Matters that Matter
Sure, matters of consequence help us survive in this world. Yet most of us over-optimize our day, only focusing on tasks that will help us become rich or successful.
Most focus on building wealth instead of friendships. Many cultivate status over curiosity. Work takes precedence over play.
But it’s important not to lose that sense of wonder that defines childhood.
Actionables
Draw a picture of a chair. Yes, really. Do it now before reading the rest of this. Done? This is an exercise I got from the late artist Muid Latif during a trip to Malaysia. The shape of a chair is an arbitrary construct. The drawing can tell us a lot about how saturated we are to societal standards.
Think of the unanswered questions and explore them. What is consciousness? Can humans time travel? Where does a thought go when it’s forgotten? Don’t settle for the answers of others, find an answer that you can be satisfied with.
Spend time on play. The definition of play is “activity [done] for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.” Do things for the sake of doing them. Play is fun. Don’t be afraid to set aside some time for it.
Resources
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart by Gordon Livingston
Summer Friends by Chance the Rapper
Thanks for reading Pillar! I hope this was a helpful reflection in the middle of a busy week in our busy lives.
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Stay woke ♥️,
Javier