Education

Every child is born curious and hungry to learn.  Every child is a genius according to the meanings of the word genius, which are: ‘to give birth’ and ‘to be zestful or joyous’.  The real meaning of genius is to ‘give birth to the joy’ that is within each child.  It is imperative that educators and parents help preserve these genius characteristics.  Cities, towns, and communities are built by trades people, bakers, teachers, health care professionals, farmers etc., and it is a highly valued gift to learn a skill well and serve your community and prosper.

Education is often discussed only in terms of schooling, and yet life itself presents opportunities every day for learning.   Every event that you witness in nature is an ongoing opportunity to understand the world you live in. The more informed you are, the better decisions you will make and the more confidence you will have.  A great part of the modern education system is filled with propaganda that only benefits the elite.  Many people grow up thinking that N. America was founded by the British beginning in 1607 with colonization, or by Columbus in 1492.  In reality, when the Europeans took over America, it represented perhaps the greatest genocide in history.  American anthropologist and ethno historian Henry F. Dobyns estimated that more than 100 million First Nation people inhabited the Americas prior to Europe’s arrival.  How can any sensible person see this as a foundation for a just society knowing that our current education does not tell the truth of our own history?

Quality education is at risk when our institutions of education, medicine, religion and politics become so corrupt and controlled by corporations and greed that they begin to implode on themselves.  What happens when the information you read or hear does not reflect your reality?  What happens when scientists are not able to speak freely?  What happens if the safety of food in the grocery store is suspect or when the water you drink has been fluoridated and chlorinated?  What does it mean when it is recommended that between 6 months and 6 years of age a child receive 30 plus vaccinations?  What does it mean when genetically engineered GMO’s, canola and sugar are found in most foods in the grocery store?  Why have 38 other countries banned GMO’s, while in N. America the biotech industry says it is nutritious and safe?  All of the above is happening right now.  I would love to convince you that they are robbing you of a super life, stealing your future but I said I wouldn’t do that.  I can, however, ask you, beg you, to be open-minded and educate yourself on all these subjects. 

Oklahoma Educator Rob Miller blogs about ‘hugging a porcupine’ while explaining complicated young people today.  So many young people in schools today are smart and bright and kind and troubled and hurt and angry all at the same time.  For your entire time spent in school too many of you have struggled to overcome trauma, despair, learning challenges, and a self-defeating mentality.  There is no doubt that most young people wrestle within to stay balanced, to calm inner turmoil, to make friends, to trust adults, to show compassion, to love themselves, and to learn with any consistency.  I can tell you if you have patience and compassion for yourself and reach out to people around you with the same, the relationships that you build will serve you throughout your life.

Daniel Levitin wrote; ‘A Field Guide to Lies; Critical Thinking in the Information Age’ (2017).  He writes that we have created more information in the last five years than in all our preceding history.   Along with the endless stream of information comes a profusion of misinformation, half-truths and un-truths.   With new forms of media we need a new form of literacy; much of the misinformation is based on misunderstanding and emotion.   Levitin writes – the age of screens has “no central authority to prevent people from making claims that are untrue.”  And so his book calls for independent analysis; anyone who consumes easy, cheap, fast information must understand how to verify that information themselves.  It should be clear by now that nobody else is doing it for you.  The truth is lost when artful quotations alter the original work and the new concept of something going ‘viral’ supersedes the value of a story based on truth.   Levitin’s book is a great start to realize how important it is to question what you read and learn how to check sources and facts.  Otherwise, you may get lost in loops of false data, political rhetoric, spin, and drama.

Do not blindly accept the opinions of others without using your own intelligence and experience to determine fact from fiction.  In a transcultural, well-travelled world our concepts of education and schooling need to evolve.  Students need to be better prepared for the world of work; they need to be taught how to develop their emotional self to nurture cultural wealth and a healthy inner being; and equally important, they need to be taught how to create a civil society.  The morality of education and the pursuit of social justice are needed to provide a foundation for each student to build a life on.

Education is simply the process of receiving and giving information.  For some it may be through university or college, for others it may be travelling, for most of us it is through living each day questioning the status quo, finding answers to all our concerns and fulfilling our own mandate for our best life. Caring for your family and others in your communities, as you solve problems and make life better for those around you, is an integral part of your education.

Keep in mind that for some very significant scientists and visionaries who have come before you, at the end of their lives what really mattered to them was that they were a good human on a vibrant planet, learning and teaching on their journey.  Put a high value on critical thinking, humility and keeping an open mind.  Seek the truth and apply it in the context of humanity globally and invest in your future through quality education.