James Baldwin delivers some great wisdom in that excerpt. Baldwin is trying to tell us that the world as we know it, perhaps our very existence is something that we’re not very knowledgeable about. There are so many things that humanity does not understand, and therefore it is important to keep an open mind. This existence is filled with the unknown. There is information, philosophies, etc that no man or organization has pondered, so it is important not to limit yourself to the norms and limitations of society. Baldwin is saying that with this much mystery, one is bound to be curious, and that this curiosity must not be muffled under any circumstances, for it is this curiosity that builds character.
I agree with The Guardian article. Our education system, particularly common core dis- encourages questioning. Humans are genuinely curious creatures but our education system focuses on a strict and rigid method of learning. One that hones one’s focus for tasks like reading and analyzing articles for the sole purpose of answering questions given to us, rather than answering our own questions. I never realized it but perhaps the education system really has killed my curiosity. I’m not a very enthusiastic question asker. I tend to be quiet in my classes. Over the years I find myself asking less and less questions, only ever asking for knowledge that would benefit my grades. Perhaps this is because I am not very interested in most classes, since it is hard to be curious about something you’re not passionate about. The average student asks even less questions than me so it’s safe to say that our system doesn’t encourage the asking of questions.
My experience with the digital world is what sparked my curiosity. I’ve always wanted to research a stable career that would fit my personality, and make my desires come true. This curiosity led me to realize the amazing world of computer systems and programming. Though it may be complex and boring at times, my fascination and interest in the products of code is what will keep me going. We should research with questions rather than answers because the latter is pointless. There is no point in conducting research about something that either you already know the answer to, or you’re not passionate about. Asking questions encourages deeper thinking and leads to greater levels of research. Questions are connected to a human’s nature and is what makes us so great.
I agree with your viewpoint on how the common core discourages questioning. Part of being “human” is asking questions, but with the grading system in the DOE and other educational systems the grade is the most important thing. People don’t ask questions because we believe that it holds no value to our work as a whole. With that being said, many teens lose their curiosity when it comes to learning because the teacher is gonnna say “Research” or look at the textbook. But what happens after? nothing. At the same time, we can’t believe what we hear because for years and to this day, little kids are being told that Christopher Columbus discovered America and thats it. This is why critical thinking and questioning is important.