“It seems as if in the process of growing up we lose the ability to wonder about the world."
I do not agree with Albert Knox to the extent of saying that we have "lost" the "ability to wonder", I believe that we have just prioritized it less, through social/environmental influences, the fulfillment of basic needs and fear, so have therefore adjusted to wonder less.
The family scene where the baby and mother view the event differently may be acceptable by the explanation produced by the author, however, deeper insight into the situation draws more causes. The baby, being unfamiliar with the extraordinary new world is, as portrayed by the author, fascinated by most things and wonders about them, unlike the mother who has gotten used to and has become very narrow minded in what can, and cannot be done, thus seemingly has lost the "ability to wonder". However this is due to the fact that the mother is more preoccupied by immediate things affecting her well being such as putting food on the table, caring for the welfare of the baby and family, and mostly financial things. The items needed for her and her family's everyday needs are prioritized over her wonders of the origin of the world and who she is, and therefore such thoughts are discarded, suppressed or disregarded. This may lead from the fear of not being able to sustain a normal and acceptable life for her family, in other words survive. When one grows older they may wonder about who they are once again, as they are left with less worries and are less occupied by gaining materialistic items.
However, "when these basic needs have been satisfied-will there still be something that everybody needs?" (p. 12) may be a rebuttal to this argument, but the argument stays true as long as the mother has not fulfilled her basic needs, and when one's needs are fulfilled, more arises, therefore one has an unlimited amount of needs.
If looked from another perspective of social or environmental influences, one does not choose to stand out from others, but chooses to blend in. Most people are too occupied by materialistic things they wish to achieve to be bothered about such deep philosophical questions as where the world comes from, and from what is stated above, one would not want to speak of such matters in fear of being looked at differently and becoming isolated. Thus one may wonder, but it will go unnoticed unless expressed to others. However when one is older, they are seen to have more insight or wisdom, and more are willing to listen to the words they have to say. Environmentally, this makes it more acceptable for them to voice out their opinion on such matters and so they do.
Therefore one's ability to wonder remains intact, but is continually influenced socially and may be suppressed from other more urgent problems such as acquiring basic needs.
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3 comments:
I definitely agree with your idea about how as people grow up we become more focused on achieving the basic necessities to live or are too focused on materialistic desires to have time to wonder. I also think its a good point how people probably do still wonder but more often than not don't express their opinions therefore it doesn't mean that we lose our abilities to wonder as we grow older, we just don't voice what ideas we think seem petty or insignificant
Like Joanne, I agree with your argument as well.
Men are focused creatures, with most opting for money-generating as their priority and goal. Thus, they neglect their surroundings and definitely deprioritise wondering about philosophical questions, as they cannot relate these to their lifestyles. Additionally, the point you made about people being pressurized not to voice their opinion due to fear of alienation is great! Indeed, even teenagers like us do worry about these issues. Thus sometimes keep our wondering quiet and seemingly 'foolish' exclaims to ourselves. Additionally, good examples to endorse your point of people becoming more expressive as they mature are Confucius, as well as Socrates and many other philosophers. We know that they become extraordinary and contribute to the many future generations to come when they started growing old.
Hence, although people keep themselves quiet, it does not mean that they have lost the ability to wonder. They are merely distracted or too conscious about the pressure they receive from society.
Hi Bryan,
You said that "when one is older, they are seen to have more insight or wisdom, and more are willing to listen to the words they have to say." However i disagree. As shown in the book Sophie is shown to express her enthusiasm towards wondering to her mother. Her mother responds by asking if she is on drugs. How does this show we are more willing to accept others words thorugh age? Instead its gives the idea of people being cynical and narrow minded.
Also as we grow older many of us become more opinionated and unwilling to change. It is insight and wisdom which gives us this. Sometimes instead of flexibility, knowledge makes us bigots.
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