Your “inner child” and indulgence in fantasy

I wasn’t sure how to start this relatively personal post. I figured the below quote would be a good way (and yes, I will relate it to anime)…

“Happy is he who still loves something he loved in the nursery: He has not been broken in two by time; he is not two men, but one, and he has saved not only his soul but his life.” ~G.K. Chesterton

The quote may be a bit archaic (and I’d like to interpret “nursery” as more or less meaning “childhood”), but I think I can relate it very well to my experience as an anime fan.

It’s perfectly normal for children to love animation and indulge in video games and toy collecting. But unlike things such as music and sports that people can like in childhood and continue to pursue as an adult, for most people, cartoons are part of childhood and they simply grow out of them as the years go by. But for me, that “inner child” portion of myself has never left – it’s only matured. I still love animation more than live-action, just as I did when I was a child. I still enjoy watching the classic Disney movies I grew up on from time to time, and almost always I would rather watch the latest Pixar or other animated movie over other genres. I used to love Disney music and oldies when I was a kid, and guess what – they’re still pretty much the only music I listen to besides anime music. Most kids love animals, and I still do as well. I would love to watch nature programs and play with animals as a kid, and even now Animal Planet is my favorite TV channel and I’m interested in animal welfare. Of course, I don’t love all the things I used to love in my childhood. I’ve long since given up Beanie Baby collecting and Power Rangers. But in general, watching Pokemon, Disney movies, or old cartoons like Looney Toons and Animaniacs, gives me more pleasure than most non-animated entertainment.

Going back to the quote, Chesterton seems to think that we should continue to love at least one thing forever that we loved in childhood. I feel that at 23 years old, I’m still fundamentally the same person I was in my childhood; I still mostly watch animation and indulge in the fantasy that anime evokes, I still get excited like a kid at Christmas when I get a new video game, I still am often drawn to animals more than people, and instead of collecting Beanie Babies and trading cards, I now collect anime goods. I said that I felt my “inner child” hasn’t left but only matured. What I meant is that instead of simply having a childish infatuation with cartoons, I’m now much more subjective, analytical, and passionate about the animation I watch. I think about things like plot, character development, and design, whereas I didn’t think of these things when I was a kid. Almost everything I’m interested in can be traced back to my childhood. Anime and the indulgent fantasy it conveys is a huge part of my life, just as fantastical indulgence in cartoons, games, and various fads were in my childhood.

Chesterton definitely thinks that being able to derive enjoyment from childhood pleasures even in years past is a good thing, perhaps even necessary to live a full life. He defines such a person as “happy.” I’m sure the quote can’t apply to everyone, but I feel it holds some merit for me personally. I’m still young – perhaps one of these days I will develop an interest or passion I never knew of when I was a kid. But for now, in a world where there are so few things one can be certain about, the happiness I get from anime is something I can count on.