Curiosity and Conscientization

My identity, sense of meaning, and well-being are interdependent with that of others because we live in a world where we are greatly influenced and impacted by others. A lot of the choices we think we are making on our own, may have subconsciously been influenced by some outside source. We all depend on each other in some way, be it big or small. I think this also comes back to the idea that Freire discusses, that we must all become aware of our unfinishedness. This quote by him stood out to me, “Among us women and men, we recognize our unfinishedness. And this awareness necessarily implies our insertion in a permanent process of search, motivated by a curiosity that surpasses the limits that are peculiar to the life phenomenon as such, becoming progressively the ground and foundation for the production of knowledge, for that curiosity is already knowledge,” (55–56). The big idea for me here is curiosity. Curiosity is so important and is a crucial ongoing thought process that stimulates creativity and involvement in a society. I am in constant discovery of who I am, finding new curiosities about my own sense of meaning every day. I think curiosity allows us to hold ongoing conversations in our minds, and most importantly curiosity can lead to more questioning of what is around us. For to be more curious is to be more of an active thinker as Arendt suggested. And furthermore, when we become active thinkers, we become active participants in this world. Along the same lines, Freire says, “Our awareness of our unfinishedness makes us responsible beings, hence the notion of our presence in the world as ethical,” (56). Both writers emphasize key factors of our ways of living and consciously existing that enable us to live out our duty as ethical beings on this Earth. This semester I have learned that I am not curious enough, but now that I come to think about it, when is there ever enough curiosity?

The people that are most impacted and marginalized by systemic issues in our society are those of low-income families who are underprivileged, mainly consisting of the Latino and African American communities. These issues trace back to major events in history with slavery, immigration, and so much more, that these communities never got a fair chance at being released from the systemic issues that tether them down and disadvantage them completely. Freire brings in the idea of conscientization, which he says is a “requirement of our human condition…it deepens our awareness of our world… to develop our capacity for epistemological curiosity.” Upon looking up the definition of conscientization I find that it, “…focuses on achieving an in-depth understanding of the world, allowing for the perception and exposure of perceived social and political contradictions,” which is exactly what needs to happen among the majority of society to lessen the gap between them and the minorities. It is all of our responsibility, as a collective community, as a collective nation, to challenge and correct the structures that perpetuate inequity. Freire states, “… it is impossible to humanly exist without assuming the right and the duty to opt, to decide, to struggle, to be political,” (53) and I think so much of the leading members of society forget that they have these duties as ethical human beings and they forget how much power they actually hold in determining the way others live. As people, we have the right to fight, and it is our duty to continue to fight for justice and stand up for those around us. Especially those of the majority, those who have more power, and those who have more of a voice, it is imperative that they do not become greedy with their privileges and disregard everyone else below them.

With the thoughts and ideas Freire puts forth in his writing along with the experiences I have gained in my community also combined with my newfound sense of identity and meaning, I find curiosity and conscientization to be the forces that I believe will drive us to question more, challenge what we see/hear, and open our eyes, ears, and hearts to everyone around us. I also realize that when I allow myself to be present in life, I find it easier to be curious and this idea of active presence along with active thinking lends itself to conscientization. At Next Generation Scholars, Marcia talked about how a big part of what they do is make sure the students know what they are capable of and push them to challenge themselves despite what the educators/advisors at school tell them. She said, often with students of minorities, counselors expect less from them because for some reason, in their eyes, they aren’t as strong of students and they do not think they will amount to anything; therefore they do not advise them to take harder classes that the student is actually eager to take. And from hearing this over and over again, these students then start to believe that they are incapable and it begins to diminish their self-esteem, confidence, and motivation to tackle more challenging academics. I have encountered this with friends in the past at my middle school and high school where they were not advised to enroll in honors classes or AP classes, but I always tried to push them to do it because for one thing, it helps set them up for success in the future, and two because I personally knew what they were capable of and that they would thrive in those classes. Small instances like this can go a long way, and for someone like me or for other individuals who may find it hard to make a big difference, this way of helping to motivate others and not let them be steered completely by the rigged education systems, can make a difference. I think this idea of looking out for each other and noticing where the structures of society are steering individuals in unjust ways, as a collective democratic society even this simple active presence, curiosity, and duty to challenge what is done, can make micro-differences that amount to big change.