Add to your knowledge

Humans have been surviving on the planet Earth from thousands of years. We have struggled a lot against and with
nature in the initial years. First the ice age and then all of the sudden a phenomenon of global warming was a very
pressing and intense thing for mankind. It is worth mentioning that humans are exceptionally great and talented
being. We have this abnormal ability to find new ways to somehow do something such that even when all the
forces of nature are against it, he can stand against it proudly in front of nature itself and face it with all force till
the last breath. Well, of course, it is a very different story that man can never stand against nature and live to see
his victory, but we definitely try. That is the gift of courage given to us by the Gods. But here I would like to throw
some light on the fact that on every such phase when man and nature have stood against each other, or have walked
together on the path of progress, there have been things that were so magnificent that we still cannot imagine any
other race to even think of it. WE HAVE LEARNT. WE GAINED KNOWLEDGE.
For the first time when man needed food, he hunted and grazed and made his identity in the forest as an omnivore.
Then, when he needed safety from bigger and more dangerous creatures, he made house on tree tops, under the
earth, inside caves, and slowly developed his own hut. That was mankind telling the forest that we are no more
animals and we are civilizing. When nature stood up opposing us with the ice age as its weapon, we did wonders.
We discovered to control fire, to make fire, and to extinguish it. We invented clothes. We made stone tools and
proved the forest that we are collectively the most fierce, wild, strong, and intelligent of its children. Hence after
the war against ice ended, we emerged partially victorious, partially defeated. But just read the paragraph again
and notice one thing, all this time, WE WERE LEARNING. WE WERE GAINING KNOWLEDGE
CONSTANTLY.
But dear readers, I am proud to say, we are humans, we are never content with where we are. We started to work
on plants to heal people and, eventually, Medical Science was born. We dug deep down the surface and found iron,
gold, coal, copper, zinc, nickel, chromium and so on. Then we started to play with these findings and guess what,
chemistry was born out of our magnificent brains. Then we started to question the working and justice of nature.
We started to ask the reason for our existence and the place where we exist. Allow me to frame it better… We
started to question, “Why does an apple fall on the ground?” Yes, you guessed it, Physics and psychology was
born. And the rest is history, if you wish to know more, please read The Breif History of Time by Prof. Stephen
Hawking. So, now mankind had tasted knowledge and ate a lot of answers which made him hungrier and a hunger
and thirst of answers and knowledge respectively rose. WE WANT TO LEARN. WE WANT TO GAIN
KNOWLEDGE.
Knowledge, Curiosity, Facts, Information, Data, Inquisitiveness, Keenness, Zeal, Passion. These and many more
were the feelings that for the first time in the history of life came into a being on Earth (At least that is what we
know).
Dear readers, this everlasting chain of questions and answers in a person is what gives rise to curiosity which if
allowed to ripen becomes an undying thirst of knowledge. And it is very well said that a man thirsty for knowledge
is the most quenched of all. This passion for learning is what must be the goal of all the young and old of our race
because when we learn, we progress. When we progress, we inspire. When we inspire, we are fulfilling the most
important goal of our life, spreading knowledge. Afterall the two things most beautiful about knowledge are, firstly,
that we gain it, we possess it and then, we have to let it go. Secondly, the more you let go, the more you hold on.
WE WERE LEARNING, WE ARE LEARNING, WE WILL KEEP LEARNING AND WE MUST KEEP
LEARNING.
So, start questioning. Let the questions be the silliest ones, but keeping going. Don’t stop. Keep questioning because
every question has an answer and the question without an answer is your question for life. There is an anonymous
saying,
“You only get an answer to a problem when you ask for it.”

Utkarsh Luthra
Class 10th B