bhaskar saikia

Growing up is often seen as a journey toward wisdom, responsibility, and understanding. But what if, in reality, adulthood is not an evolution but a degeneration? What if, instead of maturing into responsible beings, we are merely losing something far more valuable—our innocence, our purity, and our natural sense of justice?

Children are often dismissed as immature and naïve, their thoughts considered too simplistic for the complexities of the adult world. But take a step back and ask yourself—have you ever seen a child start a war? Have they been responsible for economic recessions or environmental destruction? History is stained with the blood of conflicts, genocides, and injustices, yet none of these atrocities were the makings of children.

It is the so-called ‘wise’ and ‘mature’ adults who have crafted a world filled with imperfect societies, flawed economies, and crumbling environments. We expect children to grow into ‘responsible citizens,’ yet we fail to question the very system that defines responsibility in a world rife with corruption, greed, and self-interest.

Children are placed under adult supervision to be ‘guided’ into responsible adulthood. But who supervises the adults? The ones who make policies that widen the wealth gap, the ones who use science not for the betterment of humanity but for creating weapons of mass destruction, the ones who claim intelligence but fail at compassion?

A child’s world is one of honesty, curiosity, and boundless imagination. They do not hold grudges, they do not cheat, and they do not wage hostilities. Their minds are filled with wonder, and their hearts, with kindness. Yet, we see them as unfinished, as needing to ‘grow up’ into a system that is inherently broken.

Perhaps the greatest tragedy of adulthood is the loss of childhood’s purity. In our mad rush to fit into a materialistic and competitive world, we bury our innate innocence under layers of ambition, expectation, and societal norms. We forget that once, we too were perfect creations—untainted by prejudice, greed, or war.

Instead of pressuring children to ‘grow up,’ perhaps adults should consider ‘growing down.’ To unlearn the destructive tendencies of so-called maturity, to reclaim the honesty, love, and compassion that childhood represents. Only then can we restore the lost glory of a world that was never meant to be one of war, corruption, and chaos.

So the next time you look at a child and think, “They have a lot to learn,” pause for a moment and ask yourself—Or is it we who have a lot to unlearn?