Hidden and waiting to be recalled?

By saying "It seems as if in the process of growing up we lose the ability to wonder about the world." Alberto Knox means that as we grow up we wonder less about our world and think less about our surroundings and the way that the world works. As a child in a new and unknown world before we learn to communicate we are forced to think about the world on our own. However once we start communicating and once answers to questions we once had are given to us, we would accept it unquestioningly and start from there start rationalizing things we have wondered about the world with these answers, this limits and prevents people from thinking and wondering about the world with their own brain using their own logic.

The introduction of the school system which starts soon after we reach the age of 3 would for many bring an end to our habit of wondering. From the beginning of kindergarten through to university we spend a huge part of our life during which we are occupied with the memorizing and learning of facts and theories, which are presented to us by people who have stopped wondering about the world. The amount of knowledge available to us in the form of books and the internet would also stop us from thinking up our own ideas or just wondering about the world works and how it all fits together, as we quickly learn that books are always right and there is no need to think of your own explanation. Alberto Knox is definitely correct in saying that we seem to lose the ability to wonder as we grow up.

By learning and being taught by people who have seemingly lost the ability to wonder we too lose the ability to think along with them. Many people who might have retained the ability would be too shy under peer pressure to stand out and share their ideas and their points of view to the public, and those that did think out of the box generally did not fare too well, as ‘new thinkers’ were subjected to a variety of punishments (which all led to death). In the more modern era of the book ‘Sophie’s World’ her mom (who seems to have lost the ability to wonder) starts questioning and thinks that something’s wrong (drugs/ boyfriend) when Sophie starts wondering about the world. For a normal kid without the backing of a philosopher she would have given up and climbed down into the warm and cozy rabbit hair.

Many people given the chance would definitely choose a life which is safe and comfortable rather than bestow themselves with challenging problems and solving the unanswered questions of humanity.

Apart from the philosophers named in the letters given to Sophie, I agree that we seem lose the ability to wonder and think as we grow up. However people still do wonder about the world just that they don’t wonder as much as they could have. This is seen during times such as World War I and II when many people were forced to think about the world and wonder how things work in the hope that they can help their country, whether it is inventing a new weapon or coming up with a way of achieving peace. As seen people just tend to think less but can still recall the art of wondering in times of need.

Although Alberto’s statement can be argued both ways, I agree with Alberto that people seemingly lose their ability to wonder, however during times of need we can dig it out of ourselves and reuse this wonderful gift. The important part of the phrase is the word 'seems' we appear to be without and have lost the gift when in reality its just hidden deep inside us waiting to be recalled.