What goes through the mind of a terrorist when they are about to attack?
How much does anyone really know about another person?
Who invented language?
These are just some questions that might pop into my head throughout the day, along with several other intriguing, or not questions. This way of thinking, letting myself ponder and wonder, fuels me. Ever since I was little, I would ask lots and many questions, assuming, as most children do, that adults know everything. Some of my queries they answered, others still are a mystery. While this was cute when I was six, as I grew older, I realized that my peers were not so keen on understanding the world around them. So many were content with just putting away their questions and becoming complacent with the phrase “that’s just the way it is”.
I could not understand it, why would no one want to discover more about the world. My philosophy is that humans are explorers. We are the only animals that can truly analyze, learn, innovate, and invent. Why waste this unique ability? Therefore, I face another unanswered question. After many years of questioning, I realized what I believe in. I believe in deeper understanding. I believe in not taking everything at face value and looking deeper. Sometimes something reveals to have not much meaning to it; other things are like a never-ending pathway, taking you on a trip through other dimensions.
Understanding people, places, and ideas helps me to become a better person. When I hear fundamentalists speak about why they have so much hatred for other people, I can understand their point of view. Not saying that I am a fundamentalist at all, but I can see the other side. I can see that not everything is a one-way street, there are shortcuts and highways and lanes and alleyways. From seeing all those sides, I form, in my mind, a better opinion. That may sound elitist to you, you may think I am a know it all. I am not; there are infinite things in this world that I have yet to understand. The beauty in all of this is that at the end of the road, I can look back on my journey and say, “Wow, this life here, is amazing.”