When I say that we need to learn to see the world through children’s eyes again, I already see some skeptical looks directed at me. These looks come from people who are reminded by my words of someone who they would say is already behaving like a child and that there is nothing good about that. An adult acting childishly is not a pleasant sight for most people, let alone a state desirable for themselves. So, if someone thinks of a childish adult when he hears my words, then there is a misunderstanding in this case. With the eyes of the children I mean the value-free look at the world. A view that is not obscured by names and the meanings assigned to them. A view without moral, cultural or linguistic restriction or guidance. The clear and pure view of the world. If one assigns the attribute childish to an adult, then something completely different is meant by it. It is the child’s egocentricity and selfishness that is then seen in him. Qualities that the child needs in order to survive in a world where he is one of the weakest and most vulnerable beings. This striving is pure and it is an „instinctive“ process that comes about without analytical weighing. It is different with the childish adult. With him this egoism and self-centeredness turns into something else. If originally these qualities served the child for pure survival and he had the right to give himself completely lost to the mother’s breast and to expect from her to be nourished without any consideration in return, now with the adult these childish qualities are supported by massive power and used by the sharpened mind with its desires, cravings and drives for their fulfillment. The preservation of survival is replaced by the ruthless desire for recognition, love, material possessions or power, without wanting to provide anything in return, compensation. And this combination of selfishness, great power, and a shrewd mind that uses it all is what makes the childish adult so destructive. One could say that egoism – taking without giving – must only serve the pure survival of a child. Any other motive would be a mistake.
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