Many adults are put off when youngsters pose scientific questions. Children ask why the sun is yellow, or what a dream is, or how deep you can dig a hole, or when is the world’s birthday, or why we have toes. Too many teachers and parents answer with irritation or ridicule, or quickly move on to something else. Why adults should pretend to omniscience before a five-year-old, I can’t for the life of me understand. What’s wrong with admitting that you don’t know? Children soon recognize that somehow this kind of question annoys many adults. A few more experiences like this, and another child has been lost to science. There are many better responses. If we have an idea of the answer, we could try to explain. If we don’t, we could go to the encyclopedia or the library. Or we might say to the child: “I don’t know the answer. Maybe no one knows. Maybe when you grow up, you’ll be the first to find out.
Questions
Carl Sagan (via kenobi-wan-obi)
Ufficio Postale: 20 minuti dopo l’orario di apertura arriva un cartello – Post Office: 20 minutes after the opening time they hang a sign saying it will remain closed indefinitely. #Italy #3rd-world #Italia #terzomondo #poste (at Poste Italiane Guidonia Montecelio)
20 minuti dopo l’orario di apertura – 20 minutes after the opening time #Italy #3rd-world #Italia #terzomondo #poste (at Poste Italiane Guidonia Montecelio)
🙁 (at Guidonia Montecelio)
We’ve / come too far / to give up / who we are / so let’s / raise the bar / and the cups / to the stars! (at Bandung, Udon Thani)
The smog problem is not limited to Singapore, it has arrived to Kuala Lumpur, and it’s pretty thick. Should people boycott Indonesian food products? (at International Arrival Hall)
(via 
(via 
Malala Yousafzai on the Time Magazine cover.