lighten oneself. The sovereign experience occurs when a student studies because he is compelled to, not because he has to in order to fulfill a class assignment.Percy’s views on education definitely apply to modern times. Students attend school to get a degree. Sadly, the majority study just enough to pass the course. Ironically, financial prosperity in the future is one of the major motives in pursuing an education, not the pursuit of knowledge. As students, we should take Percy’s advice and look beyond the package that is presented to us on a daily basis. Of course, we cannot drop out of school and merely educate ourselves. Consequently, we should make the extra effort to actually grasp the information we study. Also, we should think for ourselves and not accept the professors’ lectures as absolute truths. One can only be a “sovereign knower” if one unwraps the “educational package” and explores the gifts inside. The individual’s supreme power comes from knowing more than others because of the tenacity he has to break through the packages. In The Loss of the Creature, Percy shows that people tend to accept things throughout their lives without questioning anything. By allowing people to recognize some of the packaging throughout society, Percy is trying to prevent the world from being completely static. Percy encourages every human to be inventive and creative, not a consumer who misses out on the truly majestic aspects of life. Similarly, Albert Schweitzer explains, “As soon as man does not take his existence for granted, but beholds it as something unfathomably mysterious, thought begins.” Percy and Schweitzer give a new but logical viewpoint of education. As Schweitzer expressed, our entire existence on the planet is amazing. Therefore, we should not take anything for granted. We should use the senses and abilities we have to make the most of every asp...
