Let Go Of Innocence

In Notes of a Native Son, James Baldwin writes, “Anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster.” Baldwin understood that the persistence of racism in America stems largely from white people’s refusal to confront their own history of slavery and genocide. It’s not just the crime itself, but the myth of innocence, that allows the crime to continue.

This is not just an issue of racial justice. The general lack of empathy in the world today draws much of its strength from people's desire to cling to notions of purity. We see it everywhere: in nations that deny their origins, in churches and corporations that protect their images instead of victims, and in individuals who would rather appear good than do good.

What I’m talking about, of course, is the structure of shame, which shapes all our lives to some degree. Shame arises whenever we notice parts of ourselves we deem bad or unworthy and move to attack or hide these parts instead of simply witnessing them. Thus, we become divided against ourselves and hostile to anyone who dares see us whole.

One reason I believe so deeply in mindfulness — and why I think it can change not only people but the world — is that it teaches us to let go of innocence and, in return, find dignity. When we encounter hatred, despair, or jealousy in our minds, mindfulness neither condemns nor justifies these states. It simply observes them: what they are, what they do, and what they need.

Ask yourself: What would it mean to let go of your wish to be innocent? What parts of you do you still refuse to see? When you feel shame, can you stay with it long enough to hear what it’s trying to tell you? And what might change — in you, or the world — if you could meet shame with understanding instead of fear?