The pressure to compete in
a world economy echoes through the hearts and minds of most Americans. Little
is agreed upon, but one thing's for certain we need more education!
If we all agree education
(specifically higher education) is the answer to our problems it isn't going to
materialize by dumping more government money into a historically broken system
while simultaneously raising tuition. I'd question the motives of anyone who
believes this is the right direction to head in as they have regretfully chosen
to use education as a means to protect their own self interest in uncertain
times. If we truly believe education is the answer, we'll stop robbing our youth’s
ability to participate in it. Like many other industries in tough times it will
be changes to the delivery systems that progress us forward.
For centuries elitists have
used education as a form of manipulation, widening the gap between the haves
and have not’s. I think it's safe to say the intellectual minds that have
gotten us to this particular junction aren't the ones to get us out, and as
things do become more competitive it will take increasing numbers of creative
and intelligent ideas to remain relevant not less.
So what do we do? Well,
I'll tell you what we don't do. We don't try to multiply the number of
consumers by dumbing down the majority, or increase the measures in which to
manipulate them (neuroscience marketing), we don't raise the cost of
tuition and invest in systems that refuse to adapt. We don't tell our college
educated students their diploma isn't good enough (falsely I might add) to
disillusion them. And we certainly don't limit the number of intelligent
people, we add to them.
I mean it's no wonder kids
don't want to learn there's no incentive. Welcome to the fruits of your lobar
elitists, you've unleashed your cold, selfish, egotistical and materialistic
outlook on society and it’s done nothing but make a wonderful mess of things.
Now is not the time to complain about the bed you've made it's time to live in
it.
It's true, everything is
the same, and yet, everything has also changed, and in order to meet the needs
of a new generation, a new world, we will have to change along with it. As is
often the case the answer is a simple one which involves disseminating power
and control over to the majority. This doesn't mean allowing new businesses to
procreate only to acquire them through acquisitions later on, nor does it mean
stealing ideas through quasi social networks, or big government.
Some will say the status
quo is incapable of handling that kind of new found power and responsibility, and
you know what, they may be right; so to ease their concerns lets incorporate
philosophy and social science as required curriculum in all of our high school
education systems.
Still others will argue we have to protect our children's
innocence, to which history has proven by not informing them of the truth we
merely set them up for a bigger fall later on. It's our jobs as parents to
prepare our children for the world, not the one we envision for them, but the
real one.
There is little evidence to
suggest that change comes from the top, so if we seek to improve our current situations
it's going to take a real leap of faith from everyone at the bottom. We've seen
the power it's capable of in recent events around the world and it will require
unseen corporation, organization, understanding, and trust, but if we persevere
and allow ourselves to dream, and have the courage to follow them to the end
there's nothing that can stand in our way.
With a little bit of luck
there might be some hope for real change, but no one’s going to simply allow
the rains of power to change hands it’s taken by force.
Educate Yourself Take An Interest In Social
Science and Philosophy.
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