It is a wholesome quality, not childish or needy. It is to be content with being for the sake of simply being, complete in itself. Babies and very young children radiate this quality - everything is new to them, and they are continually fascinated and in wonder. They have not yet been programmed to have preferences, be fixated on ideals, or strive to achieve goals. And while it might be necessary to develop some armor to deal with the world, the problem is that by the time we have outgrown the need to protect ourselves we have lost touch with this innocent quality and don’t know how to go back and retrieve it.
Because of our training and education, the mind can be militantly forceful in trying to convince the innocent self that it is far too vulnerable to withstand the trials and tribulations of life. If you allow yourself to succumb to that belief, then it becomes necessary to strategize how to protect investments, elevate your status in relation to others, or make “improvements” to your persona. Plotting your moves through life based on these fears and investments of the ego denies you the ability to respond spontaneously to the new, and curbs your freedom to move without the burdens of the past successes or failures.
If you find yourself rationalizing your behavior, trying to cover your tracks in order to save face, it is time to renew your acquaintance with your innocent self. Only by trusting life, being open and available to it, can you ever taste delight. And being delighted simply means joyfully experiencing the unexpected. Now is the time to approach each situation as it comes, and be responsive to even the most subtle influences - not out of the need to manipulate but out of sheer vitality, enthusiasm and sensitivity. If your innocence has been taken advantage of, the mature response is the resilient, bounce-back quality that is only ever strengthened by adversity. Mistakes made out innocence are natural and are the building blocks of wisdom to come. There is no point in regretting mistakes; it will only feed the defensive armor of the ego.
Above all, remember that life is a moment-to-moment flowering, not some problem to be solved. When you live in the here and now there is nothing to defend. Everywhere you look there is an opportunity for wonder; all that is required is that you look through the innocent eyes of a child.