Odd ball

I do not discredit science, but it we got here through evolution, then why aren’t we still evolving? We watched an interesting video in philosophy the other day. It was all about the new advances being made in discovering the origin of man. The new findings contradict what we supposedly already know, but we just close our minds to only hear what we want. This is a knowledge filter.

This leads to today’s philosophical topic. Those who are close-minded get left behind. We put ourselves in theoretical boxes, but many times it’s out of fear. Parents are their children’s knowledge filters. Does it benefit us to shelter our children or does it stifle their growth? Are children who are exposed to a lot ruined, or are they just wiser?

Last year I read Plato’s The Republic, and the professor this year has us looking at the “Allegory of the Cave.” In it there are a bunch of prisoners who are chained and all they can see are the shadows in front of them on the wall. They don’t know they are prisoners, and they know nothing about the sun or what is outside of the cave. They are challenged to break free from those mundane surrounds. I thought about what I would do in that situation. Do I break free from what I know and go out and up towards the light? Honestly, I think I would persuade someone to try it out and come back and tell me. LOL I wouldn’t do something like that alone. I honestly don’t know what I would do, I have a history of jumping in head first. My impulses have gotten me in trouble in the past, hence the reason why I would send someone else out exploring. Okay, I’m getting off topic. Back to the story. The prisoners did not want to believe that they were prisoners. They were fine with their shadows.

Now, I will tie this back to parenting. I was very sheltered growing up, unlike my cousins. Who was better off? Some parents choose to be constant safety nets for children and shields keeping out questionable material. I did not see the world early on in my life. Is that a problem? I don’t believe I'm stunted, but I don’t believe my cousins are either. I think past childhood it’s all up to us to handle our business.

I think all of this goes beyond the knowledge filter. Some people are content with their own “shadow worlds.” My family is content with their existences. If they weren’t wouldn’t they just try to change? TRUE learning is turning away from what we know. We must criticize everything and be our own guide. We can’t control anyone else’s destiny for learning. I am an odd ball because I challenge everything. I left the state to go school, I’m living about two hours from where I grew up. I’m taking on a field that is not always successful. None of this is “safe.” That's okay with me!