Oh, so much fun.

I went to Magic Kingdom with one of my flatmates, Katie, last night. It was a blast! We went on two rides, and watched the electric light parade and then the fireworks show. Then we came home and watched The Princess and the Frog. Overall, a great night! I felt like such a little kid!
Adults so often wish they were kids again. They longingly wish they could go back to the simpler days, when they had no responsibilities. However, I think that this is an awful thing to do. Many childhoods were great, some not so much, but non were perfect. We were a little more innocent, we had fewer responsibilities, but we also couldn't fully enjoy life. We were constantly waiting to be older. We couldn't wait to be old enough to stay up later, to watch a certain movie, to drive, to be an adult, to drink.
It is true that being young was fun, but now that we are older, we are able to do so much more! We can act like a child, we can drive ourselves to wherever we want to go, we can save up money to go exciting places, we can buy alcohol and enjoy whatever movie we want to watch. We know enough to truly appreciate things that happen in our lives. We can analyze and critically think about complex ideas and theories. Our relationships become so much more complex and fulfilling. True, they also become more complicated and our hearts breaks hurt so much more and the pain goes so much deeper. But in the end, I believe it is worth it.
Those responsibilities we have, they don't have to be terrible things. It is all about our attitude. If we get in and get them done quickly, rather than putting them off, then the rest of our time can be spent having childish fun. We can read what we want. We can watch television. We can play video games. We can go out with friends. And we can choose to enjoy these things with that innocent joy we had when we were younger. It is often difficult, because we are very attached to our worries and stresses.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think we should completely ignore those worries. I think it is important to know what is going on in the world. It is important to address your issues. But these things don't have to be the focus of our entire lives. We can let them fade away for a little bit every day. We can take time off from the stresses and we can use those stresses to truly enjoy life. We can really appreciate the happy moments in life when we can compare them to all of the crappy things going on in the world.
Another benefit of growing older is that we are now able to make a difference. We can give our time and money to worthy causes. We can work to make the lives of others better. And that is more rewarding than innocence. Innocence my be bliss, but I'll take knowledge and ability any day.
At least, that's the way I see it.
Peace, Joe