Would You Say You're Happy?

[The Sum of Awe]

Are you happy you grew up? Where you achieved a new state of mind, maturity, discovered new interests. But you lost your innocence, your child-peace, your excessive loyalty.

Or, if given a chance, would you go back to your childhood state of mind, your simplistic nature? Where you have your innocence, your child-peace, your excessive loyalty and awe in simple things. But you lose your new state of mind, maturity, and newly discovered interests.


I was sitting outside on my porch having a cigarette. I looked at the old playground outback where the last one to sit on the swing was my sister or I. I remembered hearing owl sounds or the noon whistle and seeing the sun glow everywhere and thought of everything as magnificent. Back track to now, everything is gray, my friends and I only hang out to talk and smoke, but never to play on the monkeybars or the swings or tag like we used to.

I saw a bird flying in the air, and for some reason I felt awe at how it was flying, just the very fact that it was moving without touching the ground.


It made me wonder; am I happy with my developed conscience or would I prefer to go back to my child-like state of mind.


What are your thoughts?

 

[Gjallarhorn]

I wasn't very happy as a child. I spent most of my time in my own head, or with family that generally creeped me out.

I am happy.

 

[bobhikes]

I too did not have a happy childhood, it is in adulthood that I found my happiness.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Hmm, ok. I guess some people didn't have happy childhoods, but didn't you have a more innocent/peaceful mind as a child?

 

[bobhikes]

Hmm, ok. I guess some people didn't have happy childhoods, but didn't you have a more innocent/peaceful mind as a child?

I have 2 Kids 12 and 7 there life is no more happier than mine. They live by extremes. On one hand they are soaring in the clouds and then with the littlest thing they are crying about the end of the world.

You are looking at the past with blinders only remembering what you want to remember. If you could look at it in full with all the boredom, bad things and good things you would see less happiness and more normalness.

As to innocense about the same
As to peaceful mind much more peaceful today

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I'm not talking about childhood itself, I'm talking about the childhood mind. Of course some things made me sad and as little experienced as I was, a lot did, but the brain was so simple, I was very simple-minded, and I think that's a common child's mind?

 

[oldbadger]

I was very very sad as a child. :sad4:
Blimey,that's nearly all of us on this thread so far.....
Maybe RF attracts ex sad-kids!!

 

[Me Myself]

I tnk I was happier as a teen, eventhough there were stuff that were hell.

Though I have things that made me happy (very happy) in my ñife as it is right now, I must say I am currently kind of down as a default. I am sure its a phase that I'll grow out of as soon as I do some stuff I must.

I do am very grateful for a lot of things in my life, most of all my parents, the friendships I have and have developed over the years, and my own potentials and capacities.

We all have down phases.

 

[Sir Doom]

Happiness is fleeting. It comes and goes and never stays for long nor stays away for long. I consider myself a happy person, though. Content with reality thus far, I suppose is more accurate way of saying it. I am alive and I like that.

EDIT: To answer the OP a bit more clearly, I would never go backwards. I wasn't always happy then, I won't always be happy going into the future. A lot the happiness from my youth was based on a lack of clear understanding as I see it now. Naivete is no way to be happy. At least not for me. Happiness comes from discarding it. Figuring things out and watching them work just as I expect them to. That's where I find happiness.

 

[Me Myself]

Oh and I find it much better to have a developed conscience. You need it to survive for the very least. Cant be happy without being alive

Also, the things I find most pleasurable today I find joy in them because of my developed understanding. I remember when I was a kid some poeple told me"enjoy these years, they are e best" . I always saw them with high disapproval and thought to myself "if you havent learned to be happier as you grew up, what the **** where you trying to do? Dont wanna be like you when I grow up"

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Just so you know, I'm not literally talking about going back and reliving your childhood, but taking your psyche from your childhood and renewing it into your new body.

 

[bobhikes]

Just so you know, I'm not literally talking about going back and reliving your childhood, but taking your psyche from your childhood and renewing it into your new body.

What you call a childhood state of mind is just my state of mind. It has never left me.

I always take more than one summer day and lay in the grass and watch the clouds finding images. Every year I find some days to dance in the rain. I sit on the porch in the dark and watch the lighting and listen to the thunder and joke about them hitting strikes and spares. I still catch snow flakes on my tongue.

I still imagine myself as a superhero saving hundreds and thousands of people.

This is who I am a 48 year old man that enjoys the beauty of life and imagination not a child.

 

[Me Myself]

Just so you know, I'm not literally talking about going back and reliving your childhood, but taking your psyche from your childhood and renewing it into your new body.

Understood that.

When we talk about the fresnness and joy of youth, those are nice as symbolisms and associations, but you can be miserable at any state of life or joyfull at any stae of life.

In a way, I have not changed at all. I was too cranky and neurotic for a child so adults viewed me as a little adult, now as an adult I am too playfull and silly for an adult, so pele look at me as childish

I like to think one can have the best "of" all ages. The simplicity of the child with the understanding and practicality of the adult and the wisdom of old age.

Of course one can have the bads of all. It all depends to choices (albeit when many of this are internal)

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

Things are just as they are, no better, no worse, just maybe a little different. Don't yearn for the past, don't worry about the future.

Now that my little poetic Zen ode is out of the way, I was actually thinking about something similar at work last night. I was thinking specifically about my life as a teen, which has been quite some time ago. It had it's good moments, and it's bad moments; this is just like now. I've learned that life goes on, and while I don't particularly care much about getting older, it's not really any better or worse, it's just the way life is.

 

[apophenia]

"The first billion years were the worst. The second billion were the worst too. After that things went into a bit of a decline."
- Marvin the paranoid android, 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'

 

[Alceste]

I wouldn't go backwards, and I don't really miss it. Things took a bad turn when I started school and did not improve until I left 13 years later. Since then, it's gotten better and better. It's all pretty fuzzy, but I mostly remember the "child mind" as being confused and disturbed by my fellow human beings. That hadn't changed much, but I cope with it better.

 

[outis]

Or, if given a chance, would you go back to your childhood state of mind, your simplistic nature? Where you have your innocence, your child-peace, your excessive loyalty and awe in simple things.

Hell no!
Excessive loyalty is of course not recommended and as for the rest you can have improved, adult versions of innocence, peace and awe. I rather like the upgrades.

... seeing the sun glow everywhere and thought of everything as magnificent. Back track to now, everything is gray ...

It sounds more and more like you have some kind of mental health issue.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Hmm, ok. I guess some people didn't have happy childhoods, but didn't you have a more innocent/peaceful mind as a child?

Innocent? Hardly. Living with domestic violence, medical complications, and harassment at school takes innocence and give dissociation.

 

[crossfire]

I'm not talking about childhood itself, I'm talking about the childhood mind. Of course some things made me sad and as little experienced as I was, a lot did, but the brain was so simple, I was very simple-minded, and I think that's a common child's mind?

Are you referring to Beginner's Mind, or Shoshin?

 

[Twig pentagram]

Sometimes I Am happy and sometimes I Am not.