If becoming young takes time, it is partly because adults accumulate habits of thought—cynicism, caution, and fixed identities—that make perception rigid. Becoming “young” again can mean unlearning those reflexes and recovering the ability to be surprised. That recovery rarely happens quickly; it comes through repeated encounters with change that force us to revise what we thought we knew.
This connects to a wider idea in philosophy: many traditions treat wisdom not as adding more knowledge but as removing illusions. In that sense, youthfulness can be the clarity that appears after simplification—when you stop performing who you think you must be and return to what genuinely interests you. [...]
