Dare to Know

“Dare to know! Have courage to use your own reason!” 

This quote can go several ways, it could have a complex meaning where some would spend about ten minutes trying to decipher this, or it could simply mean: speak out.

Society won’t be able to handle anything anyone’s got to say that completely gives them a different perspective, because we’re humans and we’re very comfortable living by what we were brought up with. Does “dare to know” mean dare to know what your audience would respond, or is this “dare to know” fixated to society in order to accept that there are many things they do not know? What would you do if someone told you that everything they’re teaching you at school is pointless? Or that your parents/teacher know just as little as you do? What would you react if someone were to tell you that cracking your knuckles does cause arthritis? You’d be confused, you’d deny it, you’d be mad, and you wouldn’t want to think about it ever again; someone just shifted everything you’d thought to be true, and you really aren’t ready to accept that. I think that’s why so many of us ignore our courage to stand up for something we believe in in fear that they’d react by throwing rotten tomatoes on you. Some people, quite few, are lucky enough to have caught one audience members attention and that one person could completely go along with what you’ve got to say and you may not have changed a nation’s perspective, but you changed a life. I don’t want to disappoint you, but I’ve never had the courage to use my own reason, until this week. I’m finally over that fear that if I were to run for Student Council, I would get harshly rejected just because people didn’t like me enough; I just got over that fear that was just some figment of my imagination, and I can pretty much say it’s a small step towards confidence.