#41 - Center of the Universe
Education is not some offbeat, way-out-there, thing. It’s central to everything we do.
It facilitates our understanding of almost everything. Without education, we would not understand as much and it’s questionable whether society could survive well as we know it. Maybe it could operate at some crude level, but not with the comfort and convenience we are used to today.
During the Nineteenth Century, John Dewey and the beginnings of the Progressive movement (cleverly) claimed that only education touched everything and, therefore, only education could speak out authoritatively about anything. This logic justified education declaring its superior and all-knowing point of view and being able to control almost everything.
So, let’s look at how education touches various aspects of life.
Individual or Self - a person needs to develop knowledge of himself and the world around him. He needs to develop his own sense of ethics and decide on what he’d like to be, do and have in life. Education can make that happen.
Family - A person has to be able to figure out what he wants in terms of a spouse, children, family and home and all of the things attached thereto. Education can really enhance what we know in this area.
Groups - can range from two people talking on the corner to the (worldwide) Catholic Church. Groups create teams which are either entertaining or essential to our survival. Just in terms of shear numbers, there is a complexity that is almost inestimable. Life, in all of its sophistication and elaborateness, is really diverse and covers a lot of ground. Education can be connected to any part of it.
Mankind - We generally tend to think of terms of big things, like global warming, atomic wars or the spread of violent terrorism. Education helps us understand our own role.
Physical World - we have a general mutual interest in preserving the planet. In large part, the interest is expressed in a negative way - we don’t want to lose our place to live - the playing field, as it were. Education and science can help us in this area.
Animals - there are specific movements for animals in general or specific species. It seems to be a “be kind to animals” mentality rather than a rational, well thought out rationale to support animal survival. Education can teach us a lot about what is in the animal kingdom and what it does.
Spirits - spiritual issues run the gamut from science and psychology’s belief that man is an animal or a product of “mud” (spirit nonexistent) to devout belief in this system or that system. Education can teach about all the possibilities and choices.
God and Religion - one step up from spirituality is a belief in a god or creator. As it should be, it’s a personal belief and personal decision. Education can help navigate the subject.
Education is not a way to control others. It’s a way to facilitate reaching just about everything in life.
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