Exploration

I love music and I feel that I have a relatively wide repertoire of artists and genres that I listen to. However as I found myself clicking from one artist to the next I found myself in among musicians whom I had never heard of, only to find that some of my favorite songs were done by these artists, now you might find this odd but I listen to the radio quite often and they do not always announce the artist. So as I found myself thinking about how much I have missed out on by not knowing the artist's name and not being able to enjoy the rest of their works when I began thinking about what else I might be missing out on by staying in my small circle of knowledge. I have always criticized people who seem to stay in their own circles refusing to branch out and find something new, or those who take what is said as truth without doing the research and seeing what other truths may be laying within.
When you realize that as human beings we on average use only a small percentage of the full capability of the mind, why is it that we assume we are smart? Do we know the answers to some of the greatest mysteries on earth? Do we grasp the vastness of our universe that we still cannot see the end of even with our modern technological advances? How come is it, at an age of discovery and advancement, that we seem content that once we have finished the required schooling we need not learn? And how is it that even the educators that are supposed to teach the young impressionable minds fall guilty to it as well? Why is it that they(teachers), who should see, the importance of expanding the grasp of knowledge everyday are forced to teach the bare minimum to the future generation? Why does it seem that we have lost the desire to explore? Is it because the obvious area for exploration have been discovered? Especially with satellites and and telescopes there is not a place on earth that cannot be seen. But what about the lost history of the world? There is so much we still don't know, the easter island mystery, how exactly were the pyramids built, and why. But even here in present day there are plenty of things that we do not know or understand. And there are issues that drag on because un/ileducation continues to flourish. There are things that everyone should take part in and have an interest in learning about that the majority seem to disregard. Can you imagine what a great nation we would be if every American took it upon themselves to continuously study and strive to expand their mind?