Young children are unable to think for themselves or on their own. They learn quite impressively but can only take in so much information at a time. That information that is processed comes from the limited world they find themselves in during youth where the farthest they have stepped is from their crib to the kitchen, then the kitchen to the front yard, then the front yard to the classroom, then the classroom to the monkey bars, and then the monkey bars to the friends house down the road. Most children have a conception of the world that is so minimal that they learn a lot of their make up from the limited space they are confined by. It isn’t their fault. Not everyone can travel to Asia or Africa from their safe little town in Virginia and learn of the alien worlds outside of home, but as children grow up, exploration has a vital importance in the projecting progress of society and individuals.
We grow up in our world, a world where mother and father are omnipotent and omniscient. They are our teachers and guides that walk us through our beginnings. We practice as they do, agree with what they do, and accept what they do. This then extends to friends and other adults. As kids, it is hard to even think otherwise of what an elder may tell us. A person who has lived life even a year longer than another has a whole year worth of experience which may not seem like much, but one who starts a job brand new can be taught everything about that job and more from someone who has worked hard for only a few months. A lot of children see adults as all knowing beings that must speak only the truth. Teachers teach in a way that a child cannot garner the chance to disagree. Some children do disagree, but most would rather spend time thinking less and playing more. Acceptation of ideas becomes natural so that children may then be allowed to go back to the monkey bars.
Children then have to grow up. Values, ideas, practices, morals, religion, and so on are engrained into our minds from the lessons that we learned from parents, teachers and friends when we were young. As we grow older, courage begins to sprout where it once felt too shaded to rise up. The light that gives life to our courage is the natural questioning of the bigger world we know to be there. As we get older, we gain an ability to make our own ideas. Listening to others, we have the power to now disagree or agree on matters at hand, resulting in discussion or debate. Living on a college campus, it has been so interesting to see how far students specifically are willing to question their beliefs. Adults tend to have ideas engrained in their minds and will not usually change due to a conversation with, of all the people, a student. But students, and I am one of them, are in a unique position in life where they are surrounded by ideas that they had never grown up with. Diversity has become the norm on college campuses and in a lot of developed areas around the world. Homosexuals, different ethnicities, religious beliefs, political affiliation and so on are all examples of broad topics that are filled with different subgroups that huge varieties of people affiliate themselves with. The biggest concern noticeable is the lack of students questioning all that they have ever believed.
Most of us grow up being taught the same ideas that our parents agree with. This happens because our parents do what they believe is best for the lives they live and hope to mirror that into the lives of their children as well. The most relatable example is the religion that most people grow up practicing. Parents believe that the religion they practice is the best way for one to live his or her life so they then pass on the beliefs to their children. Some of us grow up with Catholic parents and end up believing in Catholicism. Some grow up Jewish and practice that. Others practice Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Mormonism, Atheism and so on. Most children do not question the ideas of their parents and then think of the frightening effects that would happen if they were to do so. Kids are told growing up that if they do wrong, Santa won’t bring them gifts or that God shall smite them to Hell. Kids then go on to learn that to do well means to be rewarded. Fear and the unknown is a powerful tool towards driving people to think and believe certain ways. Children believe what they are told out of fear of being wrong or ridiculed. When we grow up, it is so essential to understand that being wrong is the most important thing you can be in life because it allows for you to grow.
Along with religion, there are endless topics that we are taught growing up. Just focusing on the concept of religion, there are endless ideologies that can be explored yet most people confine themselves to one, never questioning to see what else there is. When we grow up, we are faced with the option to question what we believe and explore the unknown, or to accept all we have ever known. The latter seems so sad. To believe you are right about everything, that your way of life is the one way, seems self-centered. The world is so full of richness in the form of individuals and perspectives that to think yours is the true way is to also be blind. Your way may be what is best for you, but in a lifetime that can be drastically ended at any point, isn’t it worth it to use your time exploring as much as you can? Questioning everything you have ever known is the same as exploring everything you’ve never known. What you will find out there will scare you, but you will gain wisdom that you would have never found at home in the comfort of yourself. Discomfort leads to growth. Life is meant to be uncomfortable; otherwise you would never feel alive.
When you go out into the world, searching becomes broad to the point that you really will not have a clear concept of what it is you are searching for. In the end, I believe that we are all trying to find who we are, what we love and what ignites our soul. But there is no way to line up our adventured crosshairs onto this very specific goal in a very wide world. Focusing simply on the findings that we will experience is what will make every moment and piece of information special. It really is not about proving one argument or another that we have with the demons in our hearts. Life is an exploration where we put away the bias in our minds, setting sail to the perspectives of others and analyzing them through thoughtful processes so we may have a better understanding of who we are individually through a better understanding of the world around us. Questioning is key, not proving. Some answers may never come. One of the many beauties of life is that we do not know all the answers and can explore. One of the disappointments in life is when we think that we do know it all and use illogical arguments as ways out. Questioning others and thinking differently than before is not a bad thing at all. It is beneficial to learn and think on your own, because then you create your own thoughts, breaking away from the chains of beliefs that you used in youth. The opportunity to sprout new thoughts and opinions is there for the taking, but will you have the courage to try?
The world gets larger when we grow up. We begin to experience the discomfort of the world that we were once shielded from. It feels as if there is a crashing of ideas onto our spirits, like a wave smashing into the sand. It is a shame when we sit like unmovable rocks in that sand. Ideas splashing onto us as too many of us let it hit us, grow frustrated, and stubbornly resist the idea of change. But throughout life, it is impossible to avoid change, so why not flow with the waves and at least see where you might be carried off to?
