As a child reading Doraemon, I adored the remote-controlled airplane. Unfortunately, my family could not afford it; it was a “luxury,” so I could only gaze from afar, “drooling” with longing, and dream…
As adults, a toy airplane like that is no longer “out of reach.” In fact, not just an airplane but every toy in that shop in the largest mall could be brought home if we wished, without it being anything too grand. But we no longer feel enough interest in it, because as we grow, we become interested in other, ‘greater’ plans. In a toy shop, we still cry out like children and casually bring home a few things: Gundam, a PS, a remote-controlled airplane… all childhood dreams. Yet the excitement does not last; it gradually fades after leaving the shop. Life pulls us along again, and the toys lie there gathering dust, neglected and untouched because their owner lacks time.
As a child, I watched Nobita's adventures and wished to visit such wondrous lands, travel widely and discover the vast world and all the experiences I had yet to have…
As adults, even traveling around the world for a whole year may no longer be financially difficult. Yet life's worries and responsibilities pull us back into playing a “savior,” and those journeys drift farther away.
So cherish those moments when, whether penniless as a beggar or at the height of glory so that everyone assumes we are fine, we let go of what everyone seeks to hold and ‘fill’ ourselves with the mindset of a grinning child, exuberant while playing a game with friends like in the old days, or like a child shouting under the vast sky on a journey a little farther from home. In those moments, we feel not only that we can be ourselves, but that we have returned to our ‘inner child.’ Cherish those moments.
As a child, I had plenty of time to play but no money for toys. Growing up, I had money but no longer the time or inspiration. As a child, I brimmed with curiosity and wanted to travel everywhere but lacked the means. Growing up with more resources, I no longer had enough freedom or commitment to nature.
Cherish the moments when you are a child. Of course, a child whose conduct has matured. A childlike attitude, complete conduct. Madness with direction.
