Uchikura & Co., LLC

Dōshin — Be Stupid

 

The Japanese word 童心 (dōshin) means “the heart of a child.”

 

Children can be stupid—and that is not always a bad thing.

 

They ask obvious questions. They believe strange ideas. They try things without knowing the proper way. They are not embarrassed to say, “Why?” or “Why not?”

 

As adults, we become smarter. We gain knowledge and experience. But we also learn to avoid looking stupid.

 

That can become a problem.

 

Sometimes the person who asks the stupid question discovers something everyone else has overlooked. Sometimes the idea that sounds ridiculous becomes an innovation. If we only do what intelligent, experienced people consider reasonable, we may never create anything truly new.

 

童心 is permission to be stupid.

 

Not careless. Not ignorant. Not irresponsible.

 

Just stupid enough to question what everyone else accepts.

 

Use your adult experience when making decisions, but keep enough of your childhood mind to ask foolish questions.

 

Sometimes, being smart means knowing when to be stupid.