Three Year-Olds Are Idiots

I gave a talk recently where I was trying to contrast the difference between childlikeness and, well... whatever the opposite of childlikeness is. The poem below is the result. Let me know how it resonates with you.

Three Year-Olds are Idiots

When we see a three year-old, we often smile
Is it because three year-olds are cute and innocent?
Or do we merely smile because we realize they are really just idiots?

Three year olds are idiots
For trusting that someone will actually care for them
One day they will learn they must be independent and self-sufficient

Three year olds are idiots
Because they have no power or wealth
Which they can use to control people and outcomes

Three year olds are idiots
Because they won’t aggressively dominate anyone or anything
While they are watching clouds, the competition is getting ahead

Three year olds are idiots
For believing they can exist with their simple identity
They must develop a superior attitude in order to really succeed

Three year olds are idiots
For living without inhibitions
When they should self-consciously compare themselves to everyone else

Three year olds are idiots
For their imagination and self-expression
Instead of co-dependently valuing and living up to what others think

Three year olds are idiots
Because they don’t form judgments about the people around them
Leaving themselves open to relationships that may hurt them

Three year olds are idiots
As they dwell in the joy of the present
And not constantly striving for the future and running from the past

Three year olds are idiots
Thinking simplicity is best
While the world around them becomes more complex and confusing

Three year olds are idiots
Because they treat all people equally
Instead of figuring out where they rank and who really matters

Three year olds are idiots
For being vulnerable instead of
Armor-clad and Teflon-coated in the heart and soul

I guess if I was to let down my guard and be a little more trusting,
Kind of like a three year-old,
I might be less anxious, defensive, and uptight
My health might improve
As well as my relationships with other people
And my cynical outlook of the world could change...
I mean, that’s what my therapist says,
That’s what my wife and friends think...

Idiots