On Childlike Innocence
What we call childlike innocence is our natural character, entirely free of pretense. We usually associate it with the simplicity and immaturity of children. Once people grow older and have children of their own, they naturally become dignified and mature. Zhu Xi’s Family Instructions includes the line, “Among elders and children, within and outside the household, rules must be solemn and words must be firm.” In matters of discipline, parents with their children and teachers with their students tend to be serious—strict without being harsh. Where rank and authority prevail, childlike innocence cannot easily emerge. As for adults in the entertainment world who act naïve or uninhibited merely to create laughter, their performances often contain a flippant, cloying artificiality. Such acting, fashioned against natural character, cannot be called genuine innocence; it is only a deliberate attempt to excite the crowd.
Childlike innocence need not belong only to children. Although aging inevitably brings physical decline, we can relax inwardly and follow nature. In old age, body and mind can return to a childlike openness. We may follow the example of Lao Laizi, the seventy-year-old filial son of the Spring and Autumn period who amused his parents with children’s play. This is truly a return to youth and also a sign of longevity. Such an outward return to childhood must be grounded in a healthy state of body and mind. When older adults preserve innocence in their hearts, their minds remain agile and clear, and they can delight in a joyful world as children do. Yet the innocent happiness older adults long for is difficult to sustain alone, and the small setting of the home may not awaken much enthusiasm. A community of older adults encourages everyone to participate together; then liveliness and childlike openness arise naturally.
Our SunnyDay Adult Day Health Care is just such a community. Many times during recreational programs, our “young-at-heart elders” have followed their childlike spirit and found pleasure in performing, while those watching have laughed with open hearts. Above all, the center’s leadership is devoted to warm, considerate service and expressly asks every staff member to greet older adults with a smile. Smiling is a defining quality of this community. It brings older adults from different backgrounds together as one family, cheerful and harmonious with one another. Everyone knows that smiling relaxes the nerves, and hearty laughter is among the best medicines for the body. It can change the body’s biochemical state; truly, one smile is worth a thousand pieces of gold. The French philosopher Paul Ricoeur called the innocence of later life a “second naïveté”—a joining of a child’s innocence, freshness and enthusiasm with the wisdom gained through an older adult’s life experience.
I have experienced deeply that coming to SunnyDay Adult Day Health Care clearly helps people gain—or regain—youthfulness and vitality. It truly deserves to be called a health center. It not only provides healthcare and attentive support in many areas; it also deliberately nurtures childlike innocence in older adults—the “second naïveté.” More than a cradle for that renewed innocence, the center offers a place where, if you let go of worries and rigid restraints and devote yourself wholeheartedly to its activities, the lines on your face will naturally soften, the scars in your heart will begin to heal, and you will be helped to cultivate serenity and character while enjoying a well-cared-for later life.