First a couple of questions.

What is innocence?

A connection to our inner self.

Purity.

The second being, who is innocent?

I think everyone is innocent from one perspective.

I am totally innocent of all the above and all of the below, however … About that monkey in the middle, I am taking the Fifth. The middle is always a sticking point.

These questions are pretty big issues socially are they not?

Yes, especially today and the way disinformation is created.

Defining our morality.

What would it mean to be innocent until proven guilty?

To be trusted.

It might stave off the lynch party.

In your own self assessment are you innocent?

Actually, no. I’m not so sure I was even innocent at birth.

Our only definition of innocence is the absence of guilt. We have little grasp of the idea outside of that.

Guilt as emotion or guilt as in you did it!!? Guilt in all forms. Did you have empathy as a young child?

Actually, I did. Then you were innocent. I was a wonder child in that respect.

We start out with a natural orientation toward the world and other people in it. We have an instinctive sense of bonding with our parents and siblings and how we should interact with ultimately everyone. Our capacity to sense the world in this way is quickly compromised though, no?

This empathy is prevalent in our (Native Hawaiian) culture. Bonding with my mountain, my tree, etc, my shark, my turtle. And not even “bonding.” It is just there. Yes, a little child naturally thinks you shouldn’t kill a fish. How many adults have that automatic assumption?

They don’t think that way.

Major trauma to sons was their rushing home distraught and outraged and helpless to the older boys who were shooting frogs with arrows. Even in tribal cultures, killing and the understanding of it is still something undertaken carefully, and generally later in life.

Exactly, we have “altars” on beaches for the fishing. Bulldozers tried to take them down.

Your sons suffered a sort of spiritual injury in witnessing that wrong doing on the part of their peers.

Oh, it was horrible for them. The frogs are family, this was murder, and what is worse, they learned about being helpless because they could not stop the older boys.

Is our society open enough to allow the preservation of this empathy? The age of reason, also known as the enlightenment, had a big impact on society world wide. Did it’s insights lead to more freedom for empathy?

Hell, no. It constricted things in a different way. What behaviour does this age of reason support?

Being practical? How is the practical determined?

Logical thinking, but on whose terms is the logic right…

It typically excludes feelings. Empathy. Our only experience of empathy is feeling.

How well do our families fair today in the world?

They still chastise the empaths, still “burn them at the stake” so to speak. Yes, social ostracism, marginalization, get labelled a foolish tree hugger.

And a woman was recently burned for being an empath aka witch. Beware! The act of enchanting someone, fascinating them. We don’t even think of it as witchcraft anymore, but can you fascinate anyone without emotional sensitivity?

If they are fascinated, they are guilty. Guilty of emotional sensitivity. Charismatic people have that trait because they are either genuinely emotionally sensitive, or they fake it very well. Can they be charismatic any other way?

You feel ‘understood’ with them.

Well, if they wore a lot of chocolate, that could peak some interest in their general direction, and they could be perfect clods.

What is beauty without emotion? I recall as a young boy thinking my mother was the most beautiful person in the world. I wasn’t really making an assessment of her physical appearance, it was my emotional bond that made me feel such love for even the sight of her. Her looks didn’t really have anything to do with it. Anyone else experience this?

Understood, a son sent me a loving mother’s day card, the cover an 8 year old drawing of a carrot. Inside the message said, “Mom I love you. You are as a carrot.” Indeed, and understood from that heart that statement makes perfect sense.

I still have that card. Years later he explained it, “Mom, because I love the colour orange.” It’s a very good colour. Sunrise and sunset often have an orange hue.

Yes, one of its variants is used by monks, too. Saffron, which is indeed a shade of orange.

Indicating ability to focus, etc. Balance.

So associations are built out of a lot of “innocence.” They indeed are.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~