Heaven on Earth

Close your eyes and imagine that you are a very young child, so young that you do not yet speak or understanding any language. Think about how it might have felt to experience life when you were this age. Because you had not yet learned to communicate using words, you could only express emotions. If you were uncomfortable or unhappy, you would scream or cry. If you were happy and well-fed and warm, you would giggle and laugh. Because you could not understand the words of others, everything was communicated through tones, facial expressions, body language and physical touch.

When you were in this childlike state, there was no concept of future or past. Even time of day was not understood. Your emotions were experienced, then passed quickly. You held no grudges and had not even learned to understand the concept of money. The only thing that you knew for certain was what is happening to you at any given moment.

Now imagine seeing the world through childlike eyes, even though you are no longer a child. In this state, what fears and worries no longer haunt you? What past regrets are forgotten? How different does the world look without any of your preconceived notions about how it should or shouldn't be?

Even common experiences that you've had many time before can be new and exciting when you see them through the eyes of the child you once were. You can temporarily silence the constant judgmental chatter in your own mind by focusing solely on sensory input the way young children do. You can approach new experiences with curiosity and joy rather than fearing what the experience will bring.

Without preconceptions, learning becomes simple and fun. Since words meant nothing when you were very young, you learned through experiences. There was no need to take someone's word for something. If you picked up a toy and enjoyed playing with it, that toy was part of your experience. If you burned your hand on a hot stove, that pain was part of your experience. Each experience was filed away, influencing your future decisions. By learning to experience things as if we are doing them for the first time, however, we can see them with new eyes and feel the newness and joy we once felt when they actually were new experiences. We can be open to receive everything life has to offer. That is the way to create heaven on Earth.