Innocence

Why, as we grow older do we lose the innocence of youth are ageing and innocence mutually exclusive is it because innocence affords us no protection leaving us defenceless easy victims and so we abandon it as we come to know the world that we inhabit a world that tells us to expect the worst and as we look for the worst and find it all around us our focus is lost to wonder and opportunity our openness and willingness to trust branded silly and naïve dangerous even the awe that filled us when young that had us keen and vibrant fearless and full of expectation has become the currency of the childishly gullible of little value in the ranks of lost innocence and so having left our youth behind us and with it our innocence an innocence that inspired us permitting us to be open and unguarded to accept our world at face value to be impulsive and trusting to believe in innate goodness we have with the guiding wisdom of age decided that it is no longer prudent to unquestioningly offer our hand to unreservedly open our heart to smile and welcome people in.