Should we all question everything? Sure why not.
by Ethan Metcalf
Media is great! Television. Books. Radio. The internet. They have all contributed to the spread of knowledge so that we as humans can have one basic culture, where we all understand basic ideas.

By basic I mean knowing what a dog looks like or what six minus four equals, but let’s delve a bit deeper then shall we?

We watch the news on TV because it brings us information on current events, and for the most part it’s accurate. The problem is that too many people eat up whatever the media shoves down our waiting throats, and too few people question it.

The key to knowledge and a higher understanding of life is to question everything. Everything? Yes, everything, and thanks for questioning me.

It was through questioning conventional knowledge that Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu developed the ideas that came to shape the government in which we live by. By questioning everything, Dennis Diderot wrote one of the most controversial and thought provoking encyclopedias ever.

Admittedly, almost all these men were thrown in prison and exiled because of their ability to think differently, but that’s a different story for another time.

Thinking on it, I’ve just realized that writing this editorial should be pointless, as everyone should question all things to better understand them. It just seems natural. Why would one not want to understand the world around them and why things are the way they are?

The fact that millions of others accept anything thrown at them, and immediately shoot down any contradicting ideas is astounding.

Well now that I’ve got you, I want you to remove your head from the backside of your nether region and look around. Take a big wiff. How’s that reality check smell? How does it taste?

One thing you may notice in the very school that you’ve donated four years of your life to are the big navy blue banners that adorn the stairways. Cheesey attempts at inspiration aside, read them.

“Principles for the Development of a Complete Mind: Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses - especially learn how to see. Realise that everything connects to everything else.” - Leonardo da Vinci.

Break out of the small world in which you think and observe life. Take it in and realise that everything is connected.

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” - Aristotle.

Think hypothetically. What if their sources are wrong? What if the dinosaurs survived? What if we never declared war on Iraq? What if...?

We all honestly need to challenge popular theory, or the things we currently accept. By this, do not think it means to disagree or abandon what one believes, rather, it means to become more familiar with what one believes.

For a more physical example, a mechanic that asks “Why does this piece of the car do what it does?” will seek the answer to this question, and therefore gain a better understanding of how that vehicle works.

The point I’m trying to make is: A mechanic that understands why a car part works as well as how to fix it, will be infinitely more valuable than a mechanic who only knows how to fix a car.

Why others are still afraid to enquire more about the things around them boggles my mind, as it does no harm. If anything, it’s fun. Thankfully, the final navy blue banner explains this... a bit more eloquently.

“Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes.