I have been told by friends that I’m naive. That I trust people too easily and believe that all in the world is good. That people are all good natured. That I live in a world other than the one everyone else lives in. That in my world, everyone loves one another and everything moves along smoothly. I’m told these things as compliments and faults in my character. I smile because my smile is my immediate response if I don’t agree with something or I don’t wish to say something to upset someone. I smile because I disagree with their opinions but I don’t know how to suggest they are wrong. I smile, also,  because I know that the world they describe – the one they think I live in – exists. I know it exists because I visit it, but the world they imagine and the one I visit is not one and the same.

I guard my naïveté because it allows me to see a world without limits. One where everything we pursue is what motivates us; satisfies us. My naïveté allows me to live on dreaming and go on about life trying to make these dreams come true while others’ criticism of my naïveté is exactly what prevents them from dreaming big. Maybe they won’t listen to me but if my thinkings are backed by a master in his field, such as Matisse, will my point come across better?

Matisse states: “You study, you learn, but you guard the original naïveté. It has to be within you, as desire for drink is within the drunkard or love is within the lover.” Our naïveté is our essence but growing up, we end up losing it bit by bit until we find ourselves mocking those who dream too much. We should nurture this naïveté instead of letting it disappear. I am envious of how children pick up on languages so quickly but this is tied to the fact that they are unafraid of being judged and being embarrassed. They take risks without having a full understanding of the negatives associated with risk taking. I think my naïveté will be the reason I take more risks in the future by turning my current dreams into reality and I only hope to maintain this state of mind as I age.