The Age of Dis-innocence

When we were kids, people allowed us to say what we wanted because we were in the age of innocence. Hardly anyone would take offence with what we say because we "didn't know better". Childhood was also characterised by the "inability" to process thoughts and knowledge. Thus, the mouth merely verbalised what the eyes saw. Think "The Emperor's New Clothes".

As we became cognizant of the power of our words and thoughts, we are held responsible for the things we say. Even our thoughts, the very thoughts which are not even in concrete forms, can land us in jail. The premise here is that if one harbours certain thoughts or holds dear certain beliefs, one is bound to act on them eventually. So, regardless of the eventual outcomes, one may be punished. Think "Al-Qaeda operatives".

It is no surprise then that once past the age of innocence, people learn to shut up. People hold back their thoughts and their words. They live and work in vacuums. For, like the fish, opening their mouths land them in trouble, especially if they are hooked up. Of course, like the fish, when thrown alive into the frying pan, it struggles but it might just land itself into the fire. Considering the dire consequences, people, being able to think for themselves (most/some of the time), simply learn to keep everything to themselves.

I read something recently about making discoveries and breakthroughs. I can't seem to find the exact quote but it ran along the lines of "if you are among the familiar ideas and concepts, you are far from them. It is when the path becomes increasingly difficult and lonely that you know you are perhaps reaching something big."

This seems to be a common refrain for many people who devote their lives into finding the next big thing - except on TV reality programmes, that is. As they move out of the ordinary realms, they face different challenges requiring different manners of managing them. For instance, these people may simply lose the ability to find an audience who appreciate their work. Or they may need to enshroud everything they do in a cloak of secrecy because world peace or lots of money is involved. Or better yet, they are going to do something earth-shattering but they might not live to see their handiwork. No one knows.

But certainly, after the age of innocence, a lot of non-innocence ensues and prevails. Until one reaches the age of dis-innocence.

Pardon me as I try to explain my invention "dis-innocence". The age of dis-innocence is the stage where you are free to let loose whatever you have done or thought about in the past without fear of moral reproach or mortal repercussions. In particular, I was struck by something I read on Fraser's blog:

I liked the information Bill Cosby gave to fathers many years ago; saved me from lots of diaper changes. He explained that a father need only prick his child once while changing a diaper, a minor pin prick was all that would make the mother take over and never let the father do it again.

To "come clean" on something like this, to me, marks the period of dis-innocence. Perhaps some form of senescence has taken place but certainly, the lucid guy must have decided that it is time to throw caution to the winds and let it off his chest without a second thought or a care.

The age of dis-innocence is still different from the "final confession" stage where all sins are forgiven when one is drawing one's last few breaths. Dis-innocent sharings allow the perpetrator of naughty, clandestine acts to air them openly, perhaps with the conscious knowledge that once the burden of the "special insider knoweldge" is off the chest, what comes after is the deliverance of any emotional baggage and even better yet, with no punishment. The person in receipt of the dis-innocent information would also have moved past the stage of wanting any form of pay back.

Indeed, the age of dis-innocence is perhaps marked with freedom from cares and worries and shows that the dis-innocent is in an environment flowing with lots of love and forgiveness.

I hope my age of dis-innocence come soon.