Fear Of The Unknown Should Be Replaced With Curiosity | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Fear Of The Unknown Should Be Replaced With Curiosity

The more fear we have, the more we miss out on!

7
Fear Of The Unknown Should Be Replaced With Curiosity
quotefancy

A few weeks back, I had written about being an English major. Now, I'm going to touch base on school related topics again but this article will have a different approach. I've always taken my education very seriously. I graduated high school with honors and even surprised myself with how well I managed during my freshman year of college.

I consider myself to be "too school for cool," if you know what I mean.

Schoolwork isn't as easy for me as people think it is, though. Over the years, I've noticed that a lot of people, some family members included, like to think that all aspects of my education just come to me naturally. That I don't have to study for anything, I just learn the information and it is forever engraved into my brain. I would love it, if that was the case. Sadly, it isn't, and I make up a single portion of the millions of unlucky students who have to work their fingers to the bones when dealing with certain subjects. I'm much more right brained, so the things that do come naturally to me tend to involve the arts as opposed to math and science.

That being said, I still struggle when it comes to picking classes sometimes. Although I find enjoyment in school, that doesn't mean that I think all of the courses I take will have a huge impact on my life. But one thing that college has taught me is that I can't be too judgmental about a class before I experience it.

There are two classes that I'm taking this semester that come to mind right away when I think about classes that I didn't think I would like: poetry and philosophy.

When I realized that I would have to take a poetry class to fulfill a requirement for my major, I was terrified. For an English major, I had very little interest in reading poetry. That's probably because I always thought that I was bad at interpreting it. As much as I loved my English classes in high school, there weren't many opportunities to expand upon different views of literary work, especially for poems. When my classes would look at poems back then, the meaning would often come directly from the exact words that were written on the page and there was little time to discuss what else the words could possibly mean.

I was often told that what I got out of a poem wasn't correct in some of my high school classes and that was always disheartening to me. In fact, I was so discouraged that on the first day of my poetry class this semester, I told my professor that poetry was never really something that I was good at. He smiled and told me that it was alright and that not everyone has the same strengths.

When I told my professor that I was an English major, his smile widened and he uttered a nervous, "oh.."

Since then, I've learned that it is acceptable to look at poetry from different points of view. In this class, I'm told not only to look at the meaning of the poem for what the words say, but to consider what else the piece could mean. Poetry class has built my confidence up so much.

My professor is one of the most brilliant people that I have ever met. I think part of the reason for that is because he has managed to allow me to open my eyes to so many new possibilities. Before this class, I never enjoyed reading poetry. Now? I yearn to go out and buy copies of Walt Whitman's works. Before this class, I had only written two poems in my life. They weren't very good and didn't even compare to Dr. Seuss poems. Within the past week, I had written two poems for this class, both of which were serious and did not follow a rhyme scheme. Before this class, I had never expected that poetry could ever be something that would make me cry. Again, I was proven wrong, for I have found myself holding back tears multiple times as my professor would read poetry to the class.

Philosophy isn't a course that I thought I would hate but I did wonder how much I could actually get out of the class. I've never studied any kind of philosophical belief before this year. Don't get me wrong, I've always been intrigued by theories, no matter how ridiculous they may seem, I just never had an opportunity to take a class like this before. What worried me was that this particular philosophy course was all about ethics. That sounded so boring to me, to be brutally honest. Some of you who read this may agree but let me tell you that I was, yet again, proven wrong.

Four months ago, if you would have told me that I would one day find myself intrigued by a class that was all about the difference between right and wrong, I probably would have laughed in your face. Now, being honest, I find it difficult to shut up about the things I have learned in that class.

Right and wrong are so much more complex than what they seem. Did you know that what is right in one ethical tradition may be considered wrong in another? I didn't. In fact, I didn't even know that there was more than one way of looking at morality. There are tons of different ways, such as Social Contract ethics, Natural Law ethics and Deontological ethics. Those are just a few that I had learned, but that's not even all of the ethical traditions that this class covers.

Similar to my poetry professor, my philosophy professor has allowed me to see things differently as well. He's another person that I feel grateful to have met. I think his enthusiasm about the subject is something else that made me feel more engaged in what I've been learning. Have you ever had a teacher who made it a bit obvious that they didn't fully appreciate what he or she was teaching? That makes learning extremely difficult, for me, because I'm not a visual learner. The best way for me to learn is through hearing someone talk about the subject in a thorough way. My philosophy professor not only knows what he is talking about like the back of his hand but its obvious that he enjoys the subject that he teaches. I respect that a lot.

I just discussed two classes that I didn't think I would like that somehow ended up being my favorite classes this semester. What's the point? I know how troublesome fear can be, especially at the most crucial stages in your life. I'm not saying that everyone will have the same experiences as me. What I am trying to make you realize is this, if you let yourself be held back by fear and expectations, I can guarantee that you will miss out on so many wonderful experiences. Whether it be in relation to education or anything else in your life, it is okay to be afraid of things that you are not familiar with. It is not okay to let that fear control you completely.

As my poetry professor once said, life is like a huge conversation. Some people are already more experienced in what they are talking about and others are not. However, we are all standing on the threshold between what we know and what we don't know. We just have to allow ourselves to join new conversations and learn as we go.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Kardashians
W Magazine

Whether you love them or hate them, it's undeniable the Kardashian/ Jenner family has built an enormous business empire. Ranging from apps, fashion lines, boutiques, beauty products, books, television shows, etc. this bunch has shown they are insane business moguls. Here are seven reasons why the Kardashian/ Jenner family should be applauded for their intelligent business tactics.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
Photo by Elizeu Dias on Unsplash

If I have learned one thing in my lifetime, it is that friends are a privilege. No one is required to give you their company and yet there is some sort of shared connection that keeps you together. And from that friendship, you may even find yourself lucky enough to have a few more friends, thus forming a group. Here are just a few signs that prove your current friend group is the ultimate friend group.

Keep Reading...Show less
ross and monica
FanPop

When it comes to television, there’s very few sets of on-screen siblings that a lot of us can relate to. Only those who have grown up with siblings knows what it feels like to fight, prank, and love a sibling. Ross and Monica Geller were definitely overbearing and overshared some things through the series of "Friends," but they captured perfectly what real siblings feel in real life. Some of their antics were funny, some were a little weird but all of them are completely relatable to brothers and sisters everywhere.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Types Of Sorority Girls

Who really makes up your chapter...

2489
Sorority Girls
Owl Eyes Magazine

College is a great place to meet people, especially through Greek life. If you look closely at sororities, you'll quickly see there are many different types of girls you will meet.

1. The Legacy.

Her sister was a member, her mom was a member, all of her aunts were members, and her grandma was a member. She has been waiting her whole life to wear these letters and cried hysterically on bid day. Although she can act entitled at times, you can bet she is one of the most enthusiastic sisters.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

10 Reasons Why Life Is Better In The Summertime

Winter blues got you down? Summer is just around the corner!

2092
coconut tree near shore within mountain range
Photo by Elizeu Dias on Unsplash

Every kid in college and/or high school dreams of summer the moment they walk through the door on the first day back in September. It becomes harder and harder to focus in classes and while doing assignments as the days get closer. The winter has been lagging, the days are short and dark, and no one is quite themselves due to lack of energy and sunlight. Let's face it: life is ten times better in the summertime.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments