Childlike Innocence

There is something absolutely liberating about being around innocent people. Whether they're young and stupid, or just stupid, they're ignorant and blissful, and for that, I'm jealous. They can do and say things -- ones that I'd hate myself for saying -- with no problem. Where I'd think I was wasting my time and I should be doing something productive and progressive, they have no problem just having fun and enjoying life while they still can.
It's a completely different lifestyle than my own, at the very least, but I can't say who is right and who is wrong. However, I often get sickened by people's ignorance, and I can't help but think they are the young, stupid child that I once was. Not physically or age-wise of course, but in the mind. I can't help but want people to grow and mature as I have, and I'll always be maturing as well.
There seems to be a point where people stop maturing, however. I don't know for sure whether age plays a part, but I believe this "point of no return," so to speak, is caused by simple lack of motivation. There could be two possible reasons: One, they feel they are old enough to stop growing and have matured as much as they'll ever be capable of (and it probably is, if that's how they choose to look at life), or two, they don't have anything or anyone to grow in the direction of.
If put in either of these circumstances it would still be possible to grow into a more intelligent and maybe even more "useful" human being, but they choose not to in their quest for happiness. I doubt any stop in someone's maturing has to do with thinking they're perfect; we all know we have flaws, but a lot of people, if not most, choose to ignore them. We can pretend that our flaws are unimportant -- something like "If you ignore them, they will go away" -- but they'll always be there if we don't face them. If we acknowledge them, we can figure out how to change them. That philosophy can be applied to a great number of things. Anyway, I've learned that most people, particularly the ones that have hit their "point of no return," don't take it too well when you point out their flaws. Naturally, it's not exactly a nice thing to hear, but if you listen to them, you can use them as a framework with which to improve.
Sometimes it's great to be around people of any age with childlike innocence, and I can't say I'd want them to "grow" out of it. It's nice having people around that can contribute to an overall "happy" feeling in the world. "Childlike innocence" isn't synonymous with "immaturity" in my mind. In fact, I think most people try to "mature" by denying the child in them. I could only see this as a method for becoming unhappy and losing track of what's really important. If the end of maturing is brought on by telling yourself you're done, or not having something or someone to work towards, then those of us who are still children will always mature. Children are always dreaming and imagining who or what they'll be; they allow themselves to learn and (here it is again) grow. When we deny that childlike side, we get stuck in some hideous loop of depression. I, for one, never want to be a part of such a loop. I want to keep being a child. I want to dream, use my imagination, be happy, and grow in all the ways that matter.

Note from the author: I apologize for the horrific redundancy with the words "grow" and "mature."