The path to Tranquility (spring)
26. Let our inner child to grow
Deep inside each of us lives a child, which is our purest essence and original intention. We are all children of nature and have the responsibility to protect our own lives. However, as we grow older, the child within us is often neglected or even forgotten. As a result, we become less happy, less free, and experience more and more stress and negativity in our lives.
From childhood, we learn to play various roles, such as siblings, good children in the eyes of parents, or excellent students in school. However, when we have to play characters we don’t like, it not only increases stress, but also reduces the opportunity to explore characters we actually like. Because of this kind of living habit, the child inside us is suppressed deep in our subconscious.
Even in adulthood or even middle age, the inner child in us still exerts influence subconsciously, making our thoughts and behaviors appear childish and impulsive. If we do not allow this inner child to grow, we will lack the necessary self-awareness. Naive ideas often lead to failure, while impulsive actions may result in losses. These realities will force us to re-examine our own growth process.
During childhood, many children are required to follow rules and are not allowed to act according to their own preferences, such as not watching too much, not asking too many questions, obeying their parents' arrangements, etc. These parenting styles limit children's freedom, curiosity and creativity, and become the root cause of the inner child's inability to grow. Therefore, reflecting on childhood feelings and discovering those lost parts is a key step in helping the inner child grow.
Generally speaking, the more roles we learn in life, the richer our abilities. As long as these roles do not conflict or cause fear, we can immerse ourselves in them, even gain appreciation from others and get happiness from them. However, roles that require us to suppress our emotions are the biggest obstacle to the growth of our inner child. If we play the "hero" role of overcoming fears and holding back tears as children, we may find it difficult to express our emotions as adults. Likewise, if we are afraid of being laughed at and dare not express our true needs, we will also inhibit the growth of our inner child.
Perhaps as children we particularly enjoyed playing certain roles because they sparked our rich imaginations. However, if various external factors prevent us from realizing our wishes, we may lose our firm self-confidence when we grow up. The process of human growth is a continuous development from emotion to imagination, and then from imagination to rationality and consciousness. Once this process is interrupted, all kinds of fears will hide in our hearts and become obstacles to our independent and conscious growth.
We need to find the source of the subconscious mind and illuminate it with the light of consciousness so that it can completely dissipate. Re-enacting childhood roles and reliving the feelings of the inner child may provide a way to heal. However, we need to experience it consciously and fully in our interactions with our loved ones. If we can complete this experience successfully, we can get rid of the shadow of the past. This means that we need to build a loving relationship and help each other's inner child grow. Moreover, the growth of love is also the most important sign of the inner child's maturity.
In an atmosphere of love, through conscious role-playing, we can gain a deeper understanding of our own childish behaviors and thoughts, no longer using emotional expression as a means of confrontation, but instead realizing our own wishes in a peaceful and rational way. As the inner child grows, we also gain an independent personality and are able to secure our own lives in a stable and reliable way. After all, all our growth is for the purpose of allowing life to continue healthily.
The inner child symbolizes our originally incomplete consciousness. However, apart from consciousness, our bodies, instincts, emotions and habits cannot represent us. Therefore, the growth of the inner child is the growth of consciousness and also a process of pursuing truth. As long as we have a complete, full and real consciousness, we can create more possibilities and opportunities for the development of life.
It is worth noting that we develop various habits in our lives, which, together with instincts and emotions, constitute our multiple selves and present a complex inner world. Letting the inner child grow is a process of breaking habits and purifying the mind. In this process, we gradually let go of our ego and take the growth of consciousness as our highest goal. This makes us care more about ourselves, others and the world, and build more harmonious relationships with love.
25. Emotions are like kaleidoscope patterns
27. Being an observer of emotions
