A lot of us believe that we live in a simulated reality in which we receive and experience input that is aligned with our output. A lot of us proclaim that we believe in The Law of Attraction or align ourselves with the Universal Laws. But not a lot of us treat our personal life as if it were a simulated reality. And a lot of us tell other people that we believe in the Universal Laws, but we do not reserve the private time or mind space that is necessary in order to put it into practice; nor do we maintain a consistent state of mindfulness in which we are fully conscious of the characteristics of our thoughts.

We spend a lot of our time telling other people how we feel about certain things; whether it relates to The Law of Attraction, our spirituality, our morals, religion, politics, etc. We tell people our views when we are trying to get to know someone, we tell people our views during a conversation about “heated” topics, and we publicly advertise our views through social media. To a lot of us, these views and opinions are the makeup of our identity.

We have a tendency to gravitate toward those who shares similar views with us. We not only keep a social distance from those who have views that are opposing to our own, but we even tend to feel stressed or angry by the fact that people exist who think radically different from us. To some of us, an opposing view is thought of as an attack on our identity; we take it very personally. And, although it might benefit us in some way to surround ourselves with like-minded individuals, that does not mean we should view those who think differently from us as oppositional.

Most children are told through the media that it is good to have friends who are different from yourself. The media tells children that it is good to accept differences; it even gives us a chance to learn from one another. However, society seems to only find this mindset acceptable when we are a child. Because, when we are children, we do not create an identity for ourselves that is solely based on social constructs. When we are children, we do not look at someone of a different race and create ideas in our minds about that person that originates from our past subjective experiences or a collective of messages that the media or our family offered us about that particular race. There is no reason for children to worry about the rules of religion because they are naturally led by love. Love is the only thing that gives a child a sense of safety, security, and happiness.

However, as we get older, we begin to experience a paradigm shift. And, suddenly, we are not told the same messages that we were once told. When we are children, we are told that we can be anything that we want to be when we grow up. However, when we grow up and decide that we are an artist, musician, writer, actor, etc., we are immediately discouraged due to the messages we receive that it either does not make enough money or that odds are slim that we can “make it” in that particular industry. Suddenly, social constructs come into play and it is up to us to start making some decisions about how we feel about these social constructs in order to “have a position” in this world. Without concrete opinions about social constructs, it appears we have no identity and we have become a black sheep to society.

Whether we want to believe this or not, children are told they are wrong a lot. Legal guardians and schools want to believe that their words and actions align with fostering a child’s growth and development – and in all fairness, a lot of us have great intentions – but the truth is most of our words and actions are a mirror image of our programming; not so much originating from our heart’s guide. This does not mean that we are bad people. And it also does not mean that we do this intentionally, or even consciously.

Some people like children. Some people love children. Some people do not like children; children make them feel uncomfortable or annoyed. It is possible that even more people do not like teenagers; who are, in essence, only guilty of being a child that is slightly older and bigger. But absolutely no one is born into adulthood. Every human being has that in common with one another.

We all begin as babies, experience the thoughts and feelings associated with childhood, get through our teenage years the best we can, and try to come out of it all a happy adult who eventually becomes a fearless senior who looks back at their life with peace in their heart.

So if we stop to think about the adult who does not like children, what are we really looking at? Are the children the problem, or is it the adult that has the problem? And just maybe children, whether we have them or not or whether we like them or not, serve as a constant living reminder of life’s purpose. Children are more than just young. Children are human beings that have not yet been fully affected by mainstream society.

Adults usually end up developing a strong conviction that they know more than children do. They know right from wrong more than children do, they know what is important in life more than children do, and they are more emotionally, spiritually, and mentally mature than children are; and it is their responsibility to teach them, lead them, and guide them into adulthood.

But rarely do adults reflect on the origins of their perceived superior knowledge; questioning it would be socially deviant and rebellious. If we did, however, it would eventually lead us to a place of reckoning in which we have to decide which part of us is doing the teaching; our authentic or unauthentic self? Are we really teaching our children or merely raising them to fit in best? Are children really annoying or do they subconsciously jolt our shadow self that we suppress and deny; rather than resurface, accept, and love. The thing is, children are more organically and authentically aligned with the concepts that adults so publicly identify with. Children follow their heart’s guide. They lead with love and they find joy in their surroundings; they do not lead with fear and anxiety. Children are mindful; they live in the present.

This is not because they have less stress and responsibility either. Because, in their perception, they have great responsibilities and, they too, experience stress; neither of which are of less importance than your own. Their stress does not originate from self-created drama on both the individual and societal level; their stress originates from the treatment and environment they receive from adults. Unlike adults, they have absolutely no control over where they are placed; living arrangements and academic settings. Adults tend to believe they are stuck when they are not.

If all adults were to humble themselves on a generational level, perhaps this would be the phenomenon that we need to in order to significantly reduce the hate and anger that cause the global issues that we proclaim to feel so deeply toward; maybe it would revolutionize how we teach. And, since you cannot control other people, the only way to make this possible is to humble yourself.

Maybe adults are not done learning. Maybe teaching is not a one-way street. Maybe children have a profound knowledge that we have eventually become astray from.

A lot of us feel like we would be nothing if we did not have our identity. A lot of us are very prideful about our identity. A lot of us depend on our identity because we feel it gives us meaning; a place in this world. But many people also allow their views and beliefs regarding numerous social constructs to define their identity; social constructs such as politics, religion, nationality, race, beauty standards, the assigned relationship between success, money, and fame, etc. Not only are these social constructs very important to them, but they have also allowed them to define who they are.

But a layer exists that goes much deeper than all of this. That layer is profound and powerful; it is who you are on the soul level. It mirrors your authentic self. It is beautiful. And for those who have eventually become astray from this place as they grew older, this layer can be a very scary place. It mirrors the part of you that have been repressed; the part of you that is hurt and ashamed. But it is only through confronting and reflecting on this part that we can finally meet again with our authentic self; the part of us that is ever-loving. Our inner child.

There is just so much to say. I will continue later. Thank you for reading.