Yesterday (or actually two days ago considering this will be posted a day later) I witnessed an amazing Mexican folk dance that, for some reason, no one in the crowd knew what it was called. I tried searching it on the internet for what it was but I still couldn’t find it. In their defense, it was a private family gathering so there weren’t many people I could ask, but it’s still disheartening to hear that no one knew what the dance was called. Some simply called it danza, but if you know Spanish, then you would know that danza means dance in English, so that isn’t helpful. It was a beautiful dance that I’ll continue searching for in my spare time.
Anyways, today’s topic is something else.
During the Mexican folk dance that captivated my attention, I could hear the younger kids in the back yelling and having fun in the playground. I’ll admit it was a little distracting, but what was more distracting was seeing the faces of adults looking at the kids: a few were smiling at them, but most looked sad.
I hate to make assumptions when not given enough evidence but this is one assumption that I’ll make anyways.
Most adults lost their inner child.
Inner child means our childlike qualities that were developed during our childhood.
Depending on the person, our childhood could’ve been good or bad. Regardless, it’s an integral part of our lives as it made us become who we are. So losing our inner child will leave us devoid of the many good things in life, such as being curious, wanting to explore, loving and hating others for who they are and not what they look like, and having a strong imagination.
Pablo Picasso famously said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once they grow up.”
As we get older, our responsibilities become heavier: owning a home, paying taxes, finding a spouse, raising a family, getting a job, etc. As our responsibilities increase, it’s understandable that we desire to go back to simpler times with fewer worries.
Those adults who had a sad look while seeing the kids play were probably thinking that.
I don’t know how to get their inner child back, but my hope is that others can realize this before they lose their own. Our world wouldn’t be what it is today if it weren’t for those that kept their inner child all throughout their life.
So if you want to change the world, don’t lose your inner child.
TAKEAWAY: Revert to your child-like qualities from time to time.
Here’s my inspiration for the day. The dance I witnessed is similar to this but not exactly— there was less skin.