A Study of the Mind by Emily

A Study of the Mind by Emily - June 2018 Scholarship Essay

Why do we remember? What makes us think? How do we understand one another? The mind is defined as the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought, according to Oxford Dictionary. Psychology, or the study of the mind, provides the answers of why we remember, and what makes us think; it unlocks so many doors that must be opened in order for us to understand one another.
In school, you learn how to add and divide, how to read and write, how an atom forms molecules, how to paint, how to speak, and how to prevent history from repeating itself. To learn all these, you need to use your brain. Yet, it is not required that you study how your brain, along with everyone else’s brain, works.
By studying the mind, I have learned how to enter a room with confidence. I have learned how our emotions affect our daily lives. And I have learned what happens when our mind does not work properly. Before I learned all this and more, I had already known I could communicate, that I could think and remember things, that emotions affect our lives, but it is different now.
Now, my view of life has shifted. I see things that I didn’t see before, and sometimes I can’t explain why. Now, I know why I think the way I do. I know why I feel the emotions I do, and it’s a beautiful thing, to see this way. I have unlocked the doors to understanding other humans on a deeper level, and now, stepping through those doors is the most fun thing I have ever experienced. As B. F. Skinner once said: “Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.”