Sometimes it seems we know too much for our own good

Looking up at the thick navy blue clouds with faint illuminated silver linings in the afternoon sky, edging out thin wisps of escaping cloud tufts, I sat cross-legged on the wall, quiet and reflective.

It was one of those pleasant days, when the weather, rather than scorching heat, was suddenly mild and breezy.

I still remember a time, a long while back, when I was still untouched by education, with a curious and creative mind, unrestricted by limits.

I can distinctly remember one of my many childish beliefs - that we all lived in the earth. Yes, I did say 'in'.

I used to believe that we lived inside the earth, encapsulated by a glass dome, with its own impressive weather system and regenerative geological cycles.

It seemed such an obvious assumption, studying the arching sky, watching it 'curve' at a point beyond visibility. I likened our existence to a snow globe; safe and secure within the parametres of our little habitat.

But now, years and scores of books and science lessons later, I am taught to believe that we live 'on' the earth's surface, being fed fancy words like atmosphere and gravity to give the theory scientific, inflexible backing.

The clouds, voluminous and fluffy, blanket the sky; I see miles beyond it, knowing that the atmosphere opens up to the great space beyond, knowing that we're not in a secure, bustling bubble anymore.

I look up at the sky, not with awe, but with a touch of resentment. I no longer see a little globe of activity. Instead I imagine billions of people sticking onto the spherical surface of the earth, going about their daily lives without the element of wonder and curiosity, putting things in their shopping carts or doing their taxes.

Humans seem to have prodded everything around them, to find out what happens behind the scenes - we know how rainbows are formed, why the sky looks blue, what makes lightning happen, how to make an atomic bomb, the awesome workings of the beautiful Northern Lights.

There is no scope for wonder or a bit of creativity - life is all textbook, the world works as the technological bible says it should.

Don't get me wrong, I love technology and discovery as much as any science geek.

But, looking up at the vast, open sky, sometimes I can't help but think that we know too much for our own good.