SENTINEL WATCH October 20, 2003 ISSUE

The two sides of innocence

By Richard A. Nenneman

CAN CHILDLIKE INNOCENCE, and even wonder, be recaptured? Can you experience it even as an adult? Most definitely yes, if you understand its true nature.

The word innocence is derived from the Latin word for "harm," and innocence in its purest sense means protection from harm. While innocence is often attributed to a state of childhood, this is perhaps because children traditionally have been considered to be ignorant of the larger challenges of the world that could be harmful to them.