I think that Albert Knox is trying to tell us that as people get older, they don’t think about questions such as “who are we?” and “why are we here?” anymore. They are too busy with their own lives and are not really interested in finding out the answers to these questions.
I disagree with Knox’s quote “It seems as if in the process of growing up we lose the ability to wonder” because I think that this is totally untrue. Every single human being wonders in their own way. However, children seem to wonder more because they are new to this world and want to find out about anything and everything. Adults on the other hand, are used to this world and everything just seems the same. They would rather spend their time taking care of themselves and their families while enjoying life. However, this does not mean that they lose their ability to wonder.
Adults ask themselves questions from time to time, such as “Where am I going in life?” or “Is this what I want to do?” which shows that they are wondering, but I think that they have fewer things to wonder about because they know more about everything, so very few things seem new to them. Therefore, in my opinion, we do not lose the ability to wonder by growing up, we just wonder less.
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I agree with this comment because people don't really lose the ability to wonder, its just that they are too distracted with their own lives and don't have the time to wonder about this world.
I also agree that adults use some time to think about questions because they will also have questions that they are curious about and that the answers are not known.
You say that, (in reference to adults) "I think that they have fewer things to wonder about because they know more about everything, so very few things seem new to them." However, I think that the author is not referring to general wonder about what you are going to eat for lunch tomorrow or how you are going to pay for your bills at the end of the month (not that this isn't important). Take the book's example of the baby and dog. The baby is simply in awe of the dogs existance, the fact that the dog IS, this is what I personally feel Knox means by wonder. Also, you say that adults know more. But do they? Like little Tommy who is amazed that his dad can fly whilst his mother is left in shock in the same situation. This is because Tommy has not 'learnt' that humans cannot fly and his mother has. So doesn't then this supposed 'knowledge' restrict us? At that age Tommy is amazed either way- whether or not his dad can fly- for him, his dad and everybody else can do absolutely anything. I feel as though that frame of mind is better than his mothers, who's aquired knowledge has set boundries and limitations about what can and cannot be done. Which is better boundries or freedom?
I agree with you that children seem to wonder more about the world than adults. However, if you think that everything seem to be the same to adults then why do you disagree with what Knox stated? Also, by you saying that they have fewer things to wonder about, in a way it supports what he stated because he says “the process” of growing up we lose the ability to wonder about the world.
i agree with your comment, its true adults still wonder, just not as much as children do because they are much more pre-occupied with their lives and have many of the questions which children wonder about, answered. But you do sorta contradict yourself by saying how you dont support the statement yet say that when we become adults we wonder less
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