The Bible advises us to be as a child if you wish to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
I have a history of being childlike. Just about anyone could make a fool of me (ever since I was young) and I was and am very easily influenced. Careerwise also, a Chartered Accountant is supposed to be able to form a judgment of the business he is auditing. He is supposed to form an opinion as to whether the management of the business is willing and able to maintain proper accounts and come up with a fair (and not fraudulent) balance sheet.
So obviously if anybody and everybody could make a fool of me then I was incompetent to do the job of auditing the accounts of any business. I was rightly thought to be incompetent and foolish.
Also the fairer sex who may have otherwise taken an interest in me found my simplemindedness ludicrous as no one who was such a simpleton could be expected to provide for a family. Therefore for financial reasons I was thought to be of not much use to anybody.
As regards spirituality however being childlike is not just beneficial but also necessary for the following reasons:
- Spirituality deals with the unseen world. If you are unwilling to at least accept that there is such a world and there is the possibility of your reaching there you will not even undertake the journey. This is an age of science and skepticism and it is not surprising that spirituality and religion is questioned by the intellectual elite. But faith is necessary to start and persist in the journey.
- Then also the easiest way to God is to find an enlightened Guru. And the Guru (if he knows his job) is going to knock the ego out of you. And you require a childlike trust that what the guru is doing to you is right and what is best for you.
- Also Christianity (and all Bhakti traditions) require surrender (of the ego) to God. Only when the ego is effaced will God make his entry. And that requires letting go of your intellect.
- Finally only a childlike person can preserve the sense of wonder. And a sense of wonder makes life magical when you are in its grip. I must add that this is not something I am very good at.
There may be many other reasons but these are the only few that occur to me.
The Bible also speaks about keeping a very safe distance from women. This I – perforce – had to do because of external circumstances and not because it was what I wanted. But I can testify that maintaining a childlike spirit is easier when you are single.
So these are the points about being childlike that occur to me.
I must add that there is a difference between being childlike and being childish. I was both and was rightly censured for being childish. But being childlike is another cup of tea altogether and I am very happy that I have preserved that spirit to some extent.
I hope you found this article interesting and useful. Please share it on FB, X and WhatsApp and let me have your comments. Feedback from my readers keeps me going.
I am looking for paid consultancy work. If you think I can give you value please get in touch with me at nikhil dot gangoli @ gmail dot com. Do not use the Contact me or Comments form.