When Ideas Should Be Taught Is Wrong Essay

(What if everything you've been taught is wrong?) (Prompt)

The ideas we learn at an early age construct mental barriers that limit our openness to new ideas that appear later in life. This is a fact that has been proven throughout history. For example, the majority of Europe was convinced in the 1500s that Earth was the center of the universe, and it wasn't until Copernicus's innovative idea of a heliocentric universe that anyone openly questioned this idea. Most everyone thought the things they learned were solid beliefs, so many were opposed to the new idea. Looking back, it seems obvious that people should have been open to this new idea, especially considering that this idea was factual, but this example does raise the question of what

Some people are born into religions, sexism, or racism, and they cannot help that because those ideas were thrust upon them at such a young age by their particular social conditions. Giving up those beliefs now would make everything they had done prior to that seem awful, rude, and cruel. This is because we are born thinking our ideas are the right ones, and we live ours lives by that sentiment. We carry the knowledge of past generations to the next, and that helps these ideas persist throughout time. Since everything that makes up your place in this world is based on what you know, learning that everything you think is right is actually wrong would only deter you slightly. Your political stance, religion, and morals would be stripped from you and you would have a lost sense of identity but then you might just switch from being a Republican to being a Democrat, from being a Christian to being a Hindu, or change your ideas about abortion. You would just latch onto the next set of ideals that appeal to you, just to have a sense of identity in this world. If everything everyone learned was wrong though, things would be much more interesting. All existing rules, stereotypes, and thoughts would be completely cast aside, allowing for a new world order to emerge overnight. This would make way for a whole world