“Wonder is the
feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.” – Socrates
At its core,
philosophy is characterized by having a sense of wonder embedded
in the way a person utilizes his insight –the ability to see intelligibly with the mind. With sense of wonder, one is going to develop
critical and reflective thinking.
Critical and
reflective thinking becomes more and more difficult to do these
days. We live in a fast-paced society. We run after every tick of
the clock to beat deadlines and achieve things or goals on our set dates.
“Time is gold,” as the saying goes. The speed by which we pace and live
our lives today is very unwelcoming to any form of reflection (Sioco &
Vinzons, 2016). We are much preoccupied with individual
achievements. We forget to ask basic existential questions such as “Who
am I?” or “What is the meaning of life?”
Moreover, our
society is often labeled as “information” and “technological.” With
modern gadgets like cell phones, tablets connected in the World Wide Web, the
volume of available information and entertainment on the internet and mass
media consume most of our waking life. Eventually, we become a passive
recipient of information. We don’t process such information because of
“information overload” –the information we get from the net is too much for us
to think critically and reflectively.
The modern
information-technological world deadens our sense of wonder. Without
any sense of wonder, we lose any sense of what is exactly life meant to be.
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