(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.)
Adults seek power, while children seek enjoyment.
I came up with this idea myself.
Children look happy. They live in the moment and simply enjoy their lives. They don’t compare themselves much with others and focus on what they are doing.
I sometimes see children playing on a seesaw. They look like they’re having a lot of fun. They don’t worry about the future. They only think about what they are doing right now.
When I was in junior high school, I played video games a lot. It was really fun. I simply enjoyed playing them.
On the other hand, adults try to gain power, such as money, status, and fame. They believe that having these things will make them happy. Indeed, adults need some power to have freedom.
However, adults don’t always look happy. I don’t feel happy very often either.
Why is that?
I think it is because adults do things in order to get something, like money, status, or recognition. They endure difficulties to obtain these things.
On the other hand, children enjoy what they are doing. They don’t have to endure anything because their reward is what they are doing at that very moment.
In other words, adults live in a world of concepts, while children live in a world of senses.
Do you know an Aesop’s fable called The Ant and the Grasshopper? Adults are like ants, and children are like grasshoppers.
Adults also have a childlike side. When they enjoy their hobbies, they look happy.
Children also have an adult-like side. When they have to study, they don’t look happy. They endure studying so that they can play later.
When I was in high school, I was really into playing soccer. I played hard because it was fun.
However, gradually, I started to think about my future. I began to spend my time for the future, and then I couldn’t enjoy things as much.
Adults seek power, and children seek enjoyment.
We need some power for the future. However, I want to have more time to enjoy what I am doing now.