First, let’s look at what we mean by naïveté. An easy way to understand the concept is to look at some synonyms for the word. Innocence, gullibility, inexperience—these are a few synonyms. So, you see, naïve can be applied to people who are not mature enough or experienced enough to make adult decisions. But the word may also indicate that we can be unable or unwilling to reflect on life in such a way as to see through the lies, tricks, inappropriate or unethical actions and words, manipulations, and emotional and verbal abuses of others.

Naïveté is, of course, the mindset of every child. They are inexperienced in life. But naïveté can also be a part of our interactions with others as adults without our even knowing it. One common example is when we just cannot allow ourselves to believe that a friend would ever lie, cheat, or steal—when all the while they are lying, cheating, or stealing. In this case, as in many others, we are not paying attention to our own inner signals that would inform us of what might be going on here.

Before we go any further, however, we must recognize that naïveté is not something to be ashamed of. In fact, many of us have been taught to remain naïve because that is considered to be the most righteous or good way to live. Consider all the memes out there that tell us to see only the good in people. These memes are basically........

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