Innocence!?!

What are your thoughts on innocence? Is innocence real? Should innocence be preserved? Should innocence be destroyed?

My innitial thought was "Is there any such thing as innocence?" Is innocence being free from Sin, a state of unknowing, being youthfull, being without fault, a state of grace, our potential, our hopes, ignorance, a sheltered life, a form of beauty, an ideal, a paradigm, the beginning of life, a religious dogma or a philosophical concept? Depending on what it is, what my attitude may be, what may be important to me at the time, what life experiences may have taught me or how I want to see it, would dictate very much how I would react to it.

What do I mean by that? The way I would look at my daughter would be different to how I would view social precepts, or institutional religious morals, or social fanatisicism, or even a simple flower budding out of the ground in the the throws of spring. The concept of innocence can be a state of being appreciated, a source of creation or even a weapon of manipulation.

So for me innocence is less a matter of a campaign and more a concern for the subject who or what may be described as being it. If we say "Destroy it!", there is no room for innocence in today`s world, then we may save a lot of insitutional (disreputable) Church members for example a lot of misery, or we may destroy a "child in life`s" chance to learn for themselves. If we say "Preserve it!", we may keep those notorious Institutions in business with their flocks of sheep, or we may stifle a child`s chance to grow up in life. If we say "Leave it alone!", we may allow Church members to ask awkward questions and make those institutions think about what they do, or we may simply give a child a chance to grow up in life.

In any case, the possibilities are limitless, as the views and lives of the people are. I personally say "Leave it alone!" and concern ourselves more for each individual and their real life situation..

Greetings Mater Jon

I like this post. I tend to refer to innocence in a slightly different form as in Emptiness,I don't mean as feeling empty by the way. It is a state of being., of absolute clarity.

Some of the old Samurai masters would refer to training with the mind of a child. Uncluttered and free. Oddly enough the society I belong to is called Sho~shin beginers mind. another phrase is munin mushin no thought no mind.

The innocense in my view ,unfortunately can be compromised by influences from others who would seek to corrupt that innocence to better their own ends.Such is the frailty of mankind.

However the few that can free ourselves from such things should do our best to free others should the need arise.But like all good things. that is not an easy task.

Thank you for sharing that Master Jon. A good topic

Yours in the spirit of Budo

Mike

Innocence is just a christian way to say [strike]has not committed original sin[/strike] ignorant. Well that's the way I see it.