I Wonder Why You Are Still Here

High school is a weird place isn't it?
So weird. I didn't really enjoy it much.
Some of the things are funny in retrospect.
They talked about developing independence and the importance of doing what you are told in the same breath...
If someone tried to hold me in a place against my will today... I don't think I would stay. I'm surprised I was so willing to follow all the rules. And when I did break the rules it was mostly for the sake of breaking the rules. There was so little outside perspective back then.
It breeds a certain ignorance of the outside world. Out of sight, out of mind.
It's worse than ignorance though.
Ignorance is eminently treatable. Arrogance on the other hand, especially ignorant arrogance, seems nearly invulnerable. I guess most arrogance has some basis in ignorance and most ignorance is strongly influenced by arrogance.
But sympathy?
Sympathy is no replacement for empathy. Not in this situation at least.And arrogant sympathy? Sympathy stemming from the belief that yours is the right view and you just need to understand the other beliefs for utilitarian reasons? You just need to understand other beliefs in order to get other people to change their beliefs?
That isn't even sympathy.
That's manipulation.
A heavy negative connotation on that word. And for good reason. It's fundamentally antisocial. It's self-centered (or group-centered as the case may be). That sort of attitude is both arrogant and ignorant.
"When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."
How can you truely have an open mind?
It seems pretty impossible.