Innocence Is Not the Same As Naivety

Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, I'm going to talk about the difference between innocence and naiveté. There is a difference. So most people associate innocence with naiveté. And conventional wisdom regards innocence is kind of belonging to children, fools and dreamers who perhaps lack critical thinking skills or the life experience to know the hard truth about life.

But there is actually a different kind of innocence. It's an innocence that's based on an ability to see the world with fresh eyes every day. An innocence that understands that the world is always changing, that nothing is permanent and therefore everything and everyone is precious and deserves to be met with an open heart and an open mind, our mind without the overlays of preconceptions and opinions and beliefs. This kind of innocence also has a lot of humility to it. It doesn't feel that it's more special or important than others.

It has no desire to be better than. It's really curious rather than critical, humble rather than hateful. It's grounded in wisdom and compassion. So by getting in touch with this natural innocence that we all have, we become better at letting go of ego and embodying mindfulness in everyday life. And we can do all of this without losing our edge, without losing our engagement in life.

We don't have to become a doormat or, you know, lose sight of our ambitions, but rather this kind of innocence invites us to hold both softness and strength together so we can live a more wholehearted, joyful and connected life. So the invitation for all of us today and ongoing is, if you care to, if you resonate with this, is just to experiment with inviting more innocence into your life. That may be through softening your judgments, seeing the world with a beginner's mind, or simply acknowledging and appreciating the precious people and moments of your life. And just keep remembering that innocence is not the same as naiveté, that innocence is not a weakness. It's a strength.

As always, thank you for your practice and you presence here. And let's settle in for today's meditation.