Beloved students, I would like to be one of the first to wish you a happy May Day. Those of you who are younger may not even know what this little holiday is all about. Those of you who are old enough, however, will probably remember delivering “May baskets” to your friends. The custom was for children to make a small basket (cupcake wrappers were often used), fill it with candy and ornaments, and deliver to the home of their friends on May 1. The delivering child would take the basket up to the door of a friend’s home, place it on the front stoop, knock or ring the doorbell, and then run away quickly. The receiving child would come out of the house and chase the child bringing the gift. If the giver was caught, the gift receiver then kissed him or her.

Compared to the world most children experience today, this practice of some forty to fifty years ago — and earlier — seems so innocent and sweet. I suspect that were children to receive May baskets today, they would not be allowed to eat the candy until some adult had screened the May basket’s contents to ensure the items were safe. Much has changed in the world, hasn’t it? The time of a child’s innocent, wide-eyed wonder has become shorter and shorter, since children must now be taught that the world can be a dangerous place for them. While some mourn the loss of innocence for their children, others seek to cast off the suspicions of their lower minds and re-enter a state of innocence, perhaps in their later years.

Enlightened Innocence

Have you ever wondered how an enlightened world or community might look? Would there be more innocence or less? Can you even consider how a greater level of innocence in adults might appear? Even Jesus told his followers that to enter the “kingdom of heaven,” they needed to become like little children (Matthew 18:3). What he meant, of course, was for them to become childlike, or innocent and guileless, rather than childish, self-occupied, and immature.