Personally, I think what Knox means is the fact that as we get older, we instinctively get use to the world we live in due to how structured the world is and how are lives are full of routines. A child's brain absorbs information almost instantly and since we are spoon fed information from the moment we are born, it is needless for us to think about where things came from.
Points were made to illustrate the loss of ability to wonder. For example, on page 19, Sophie asks her mother whether she finds it "astonishing to be alive", but it can be seen that Sophie's mum thinks the world is actually "quite normal". This proves the point that most of us do not think about the origin of things and still think that our everyday existence is trivial.
Although I understand what Knox is trying to convey and that as we grow older we do "take the world for granted", I do not completely agree with Knox's statement about us "loosing the ability to wonder". It is not factual for man kind to loose the "ability to wonder", but instead, I believe that we just choose not to. Since we posses such busy lifestyles, it is understandable for us to not wonder about things because there is no need for such extra burden, it is not beneficial and there is just too much things to worry about, such as work and education, that we don't have the time to wonder about where things come from. However, when given the time and opportunity it will be possible for us to start wondering AND wandering again and will be able to "climb up the fine hairs of the fur" and "stare right into the magician's eyes".
I remember reading a book called 'Frindle' when I was still in Primary school. It's a book about a boy who wonders why things are named the way they are. Why was a pen called a pen? As he had no idea, he decided to create a brand new name for the word "pen" and called it "frindle". All of his friends liked the name and so everyone started calling a pen, frindle. After reading the book, I was surprised about the fact that I never thought of it; it really made me think. Why are things named the way they are? Many questions aroused in my head but has never been solved. After thinking back and reading 'Sophie's World', I realise that children are more likely to wonder about things as they are still "new" to the world, whereas adults have already accumulated many experiences and are blindfolded by the way the world is structured.
In conclusion, I do not completely agree with Knox's statement. We cannot lose the ability to wonder because I believe that given the time and opportunity, people will start to wonder and wander again.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
This is a great posting Jocelyn - you have clearly used the recommended outline with a lot of care and thought. Well done!
Had you considered the extent to which our ability 'to wonder' may have been diluted by humanity 'breaking free' from environmental constraints and becoming dislocated from the 'natural world'?
Isn't it funny that you suggest that we are too busy with education to learn!
I agree with you Jocelyn. There is so much hustle and bustle in life that it is difficult to take time out to think about philosophical questions, however brain stimulating they are.
You mentioned that adults are 'blindfolded' due to their 'accumulation of experiences'. True, they might not wonder futilely about why it hurts when they bump into a wall or 'why is a pen called a pen'. But they might ask questions related to scenarios in life such as, why do I have to work? Why is life so hard?
Hence, I do not believe that as we mature, we will turn so cynical at the world that we will just operate mechanically everyday, but like you said, wonder and wander still.
Post a Comment