When I was a child, I was genuinely amazed by credit cards. To me, they seemed like such great devices. Any time you would want to use one, you would just plug it into a card reader, punch in a code, and ta-da! The product was paid for.

I thought that a credit card created money out of thin air. My family had a great machine that could seemingly make money out of thin air! There had to be a catch…

I also remember how stress-free life was at the time. No bias towards anyone on the basis of anything. No insecurities. No grudges being held. No hatred. No worrying about how I looked or how I was seen.

Looking back on that time today, I now realize this wasn’t necessarily the case. Those problems were there–I just didn’t care about them. Blissful ignorance, if you will.

Childhood for me was also a time of great happiness. Laughter and smiles were common at the time. A life of no responsibilities and chores, no knowledge of the outside. No knowledge of the awful wars being fought in the Middle East. No knowledge of the vicious partisanship of the USA.

In summary, I think childhood is a double-edged sword. So many happy times and yet such ignorance of the outside world. I guess knowledge truly does have a price.

Not wanting to end on a cynical note, it’s important to stay informed. Remember, knowledge is the most powerful weapon in the world. Make arming yourself with it a priority. At the same time, don’t be afraid to act childish and fun.

We all need to be like children sometimes.