The knowledge that makes us cherish innocence makes innocence unattainable. (Irving Howe)
Innocence seems to be a cherished virtue. What is innocence, after all?
Lack of affectation or sophistication, lack of deep symbolism, honesty and frankness, softness and vulnerability, "un-corrupted" (ignorant, even) by the vices of society ...
Innocence is primarily a simple way of living life. Trusting, having faith, not worrying much, not being concerned about the future and the past, being concerned with the immediate, having "simple prejudices"...
Especially in romance, it is usually the girl who is praised for having this virtue. In culture, the male is a symbol of corruption, who penetrates (enters, is the active agent in the sexual act) a divine territory for his carnal cravings. And since he inherits the culture, this knowledge of being a male in romance leads to guilt. The girl is supposed to be a personification of all that is pure, childlike and innocent. I would even go to the extent of saying that without this supposition (or perception), romantic love is not possible in a male.
Having entered the complexity of the world, having eaten the forbidden fruit and knowing (or believing) what is right and wrong, we crave to be ignorant again, to be led back into the womb where we don't have to face life.
A child doesn't (have to) face life. His needs and desires are taken care of. He has no challenge in his relationships. His relationships are few and predictable. That is why, a child is considered the epitome of innocence.
Innocence is desired, as I said, when the complexity of life overwhelms us and we want a way to deal with it simply, aware that our knowledge is ever insufficient to cope with life as a whole.
But ignorance ... is unattainable.
However, attaining innocence, if considered a simple way to live life, is not only possible, but the absolute goal of human life (for me).
Simplicity cannot exist in contradiction. Contradiction is absent in innocence. Contradiction exists because of contradictory influences.
Contradictory influences exist because the symbol is confused with the symbolized. This requires deliberation but it is not difficult to see.
Having "lost" innocence, we shall now consider what clouds it.
It is clouded by the ever-expanding self. In a child, the prejudices, beliefs, habits and opinions are not yet formed. Getting old, therefore, is the expansion of one's ego to encompass more and more of the world. More and more phenomena come under the umbrella of our knowledge, and hence, more and more likes and dislikes crowd in. As such, more and more does one lose innocence.
As such, reflection on why one forms habits and beliefs (the fundamental habit of all?) is necessary. This is the central enquiry in life, for the thought of "I" itself is nothing but a habit, which precludes simplicity.
Without that, there is no "Return to Innocence".
The aim of philosophy is the logical clarification of thoughts, not the introduction of new propositions. (Ludwig Wittgenstein)
The aim of articles such as these to link various phenomena and point to the common ground in them. To show that all significant problems are reducible to each other and to a single source, the "I".