I have found that possessing knowledge of things outside of yourself is wonderful. Through various ways, you may experience parts of life you have not yet lived. I am grateful for the fact that I have a practically unbridled access to any bit of information I could possibly want. But this freedom of information is often met with restrictions for one reason or another. While it is a good idea to keep certain information out of everyone's reach so that they do not harm themselves or someone else, I object to the idea that certain things, namely books, should be banned.
My thinking is that if you are teaching your children right from wrong, you wouldn't have to ruin everyone else's fun. They ban books because these books contain themes or content that someone deems unsuitable for students. If a parent can teach their child how to decipher what will certainly harm them versus what will show them a side of the story never before seen, then why is there a need to censor what they read or study? This is about beliefs but it is also about knowledge. As soon as you prohibit anuthing, someone wants to break the rule because they don't want to miss out. Discouraging only encourages and knowledge isn't something to hide. You either learn that this information is useful or that it is harmful and that you shouldn't use this against anyone. You learn from experience and you cannot keep experience from curious people. They always find ways to reach what has been put on a tall shelf.
I disagree with this notion that controlling every part of a child's life is good. Shelter them, yes, because they are young and mostly helpless. They will grow up and must be let to make decisions on their own on order to live independently. They have this unspoken right to determine what is right and wrong for themselves. Yes, this is frustrating and often leaves you angry. Even I disagree with this idea but it is how this modern world works.
Knowledge is valuable. Being an intelligent member of society is important. And learning comes from experience. How can you justify keeping knowledge from people? Knowledge is power. As children grow, they will encounter things contrary to what parents and authority have so carefully placed into their minds but growing up means being exposed to new things and harmful things and the worst of the world. They will also discover wonderful things: new adventures and characters and people. How could you possibly justify forbidding the good as well as the bad?
