Pte Essay on “As children do we have a natural ability and motivation to take up new interests”

As children do we have a natural ability and motivation to take up new interests (such as languages, sports and musical instruments) which, as adults, we seem to lose? Are there too many social pressures on adults or are there other reasons for the apparent decline in a human being’s capacity to learn?

People get most of their lifetime knowledge in the beginning stage of their life. Children’s ability to learn and memorize things is amazing. However, it seems that people lose this ability as they grow older.

It is an accepted fact that life has become very stressful for every individual. According to a majority of society, the main purpose of life is to have maximum material possessions. In their mad race to achieve wealth, they forget their social obligations and spend their whole time on their task. Moreover, in this modern world where there is cut-throat competition, only the best can survive. Everyone is in the constant fear of being outperformed by others. The lust for money and worry about survival is the defining character of modern individual. Due to this tear and wear of daily chores, people do not have time or interest in learning new things.

However, social pressure is not the only culprit to blame. There are many physiological factors too. Children’s brain is much more receptive than that of adults. As they enjoy a stress-free life, their attention reaches even minute things and as everything seems new to them, they retain the curiosity to know more about them. Yet another factor is the feeling of self sufficiency adults possess. When adults feel that what they learnt is sufficient for survival, they stop learning.

In a nutshell, both physiological and social factors collectively contribute to the decline in learning capacity in adults which, to some extent, is preventable through proper planning.