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The only reason why you can not understand non-existence is because it simply isn't real.
That's part of the truth as well as the fact that very definition of existence and reality is questionable. To quote the Matrix:
'This isn't real.'
'What is real? If real is merely what you can see, what you can taste, what you can touch, than real is simply electrical signals running through your brain.'
Existence and the lack there-of is one of those words or concepts that we often say without thinking about such as 'nature'. How do you define whether we exist or not? If we were to find that we are mere electrical signals within a computer or program, not existing as physical entities, our so called free will the result of mere logical actions caused by the processor, would you say that we exist?
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And children are not more aware of themselves. At least I don't think so. Because they are less aware of everything. Ir ead in a book once that children are in-capable of abstract thinking. And that it only comes once a child is about 13 or 14. It could have been wrong, but I don't think so.
That's highly questionable. If this were true than children would have no ability to understand such abstract concepts as freedom, good, evil, beauty, the human spirit, and several other concepts of which one must understand at at least a basic level to operate in society. What's lacking is the ability to further question these concepts, a quality unfortunately shared not only by children but a large part of society. Observe a young child's reasoning of 'evil' or wrong' when referring to a politician.
'Why is he evil?'
'Because my mother said he is.'
'Why did your mother say he is?'
'Because he's evil.'
In short many of them lack the logical capabilities to reason through this. However, this is certainly not a form of thinking that's only seen in children. Though scientists once thought that advanced logical thought typically developed at adolescence, they have found that many adults never develop this skill. Observe a similar argument involving religion.
'Why is it evil?'
'Because the Bible says it is.'
'Why does the Bible say it is?'
'Because it's evil.'
What children do lack is the knowledge and habits of culture, taboos, customs, and human nature. In a book detailing the philosophical capabilities of young children, one boy brought up the Descartian question of whether we or anything for that matter exist; this of course requires a great amount of abstract thought.
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Children are trully ignorant and any time they find anything out, it is as if it is a true change in them. That when they figured something out, it was big. This is nto because the child is more aware, but because it has nothing to base itself on. You must admit, that when you first realized that you were a some what intelligent person, you thought you knew a lot. Not because you were full of yourself, but because according everything else in the world that you had experienced at that time did make what ever you found out appear to be a massive conclusion. This is the same with children. They seem to be more aware, because they believe that they are because when they find anything out they feel that it was big. So they follow suit with their feelings and portray something that does in fact seem aware, much like you, and I, did when we realized that we were capable of a true understanding... I think...
That's human nature in general; it's certainly not exclusive to children. This is much like the argument of why evil exists in the world if there is some supreme entity such as God in existence. The simple explanation is that 'evil' only exists as a point of comparison of what we subjectively consider to be good. The very 'existence' of good insures the 'existence' of evil. Following from your knowledge example, we commonly believe ourselves to be an advanced culture; this is only in comparison to the past, what we already know of technology. Abstract concepts such as intelligence cannot be viewed through an objective lens.
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