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Educating, over-educating and de-educating

Dootzkie Saturday, May 14, 2011
The day when I reveal my epiphany that I had under the new Old Bridge in Mostar has come!

This is the picture I posted a few days ago that in contains a pile or rocks, towers made by the stone masons from the ages passed and a newly rebuild bridge made out of uniform and brick like stones.






The metaphor for me, at that moment in time was clear. I saw human beings as stones and the way they are arranged as our social structure. Education was seen as how much of the stones potential was used while still keeping it a proper stone with its true nature.

And then it hit me. For those that didn't read Huxley's Brave New World a small info boost ~ The book starts in a factory that produces humans designed to fit one of the four categories. Deltas get poison as fetuses, Alphas get nurtured in the best possible way, Betas learn that those bellow them are ugly and stupid and that Alphas work too much, while Gamma toddlers are terrorized with noise in the presence of art and roses so they connect art, flowers and finer things in life with stress and fear. It clearly depicts a state where individuals are made by a custom order from those in power so they will fit into the predetermined slots.

Humans, rocks, have been turned to dust and then molded one by one into fine bricks.
I firmly believe that this is the way we are heading today.

We need to become civilized and educated by abandoning out primal urges which lead to frustration and unhappiness. Over the past few decades we have seen the invention of ADHD and Ritalin to move the molding process even further into childhood and with new breakthroughs in genetics, I wouldn't be surprised if we start to see modifications made even before kids start being considered alive.

On the other hand the pile of rocks on the bottom left reminded me of the Summerhill school in England. A place that classes aren't mandatory and where attending them or doing any school work isn't compulsory. It's a well know fact that kids that go there want to learn and show initiative to do so on their own, but their short-sighted nature hinders them from maybe enduring something not as fun today so that they can achieve something more interesting and better tomorrow.

Kids, rocks, left to shape them self as the pile moves and as parts of them are chipped off by pure chance.
I firmly believe this doesn't do the majestic stones full justice.

And what should we do then?! I say we need builders, stone masons, people that see the potential of the stone as an individual and it's potential as a part of something greater. Someone who keeps the stone mostly intact, but allows it to be a part of something greater, organized and beautiful. Not left on a bank of a river or on a side of a road. Not being pulverized into dust just to fit the mold.

Humans, rocks, being true to them self and their nature. Being used for their fullest potential with the sense of purpose.
I firmly believe that is the only way forward. The only way the allows us to keep our humanity and to keep growing in every aspect!



Also ~ This is me around the time of the epiphany ;)







Please, share your views on education and the present social structure. I'd love me some informative and/or constructive feedback.

13 comments:

William Main said...

That's a pretty interesting outlook, actually. I'm looking forward to more posts fromy ou.

Al3xaG said...

I don't know... the social structure is needed as some of our primal urges won't really congeniate with the others. It needs to be some kind of mediation, you simply can't make everyone happy. The problem might be that the society is not molding the humanity to their best form.

duffboi said...

Interesting post. Personally, I am still holding out hope that individuals will start following their dreams and passions and find themselves doing what they love, and contributing the whole of society in that way. It's a dream of mine, i guess. hehe

Astronomy Pirate said...

So children are like bridges to the future, but they have to be molded first.

Musicofjustin said...

The stone masons where some very intelligent people! I always thought they were apart of the free masons!

Trelin said...

Not many people, especially young children will learn all that they need to know if they aren't required to. Why bother learning a skill or trade if you don't need to support yourself? Why do anything resembling work if you can play all day without foreseeable consequences?

Anonymous said...

We need more shepherds and less sheep :D

D4 said...

I refuse to rant here. But I do agree with you, Dootzie. It's the closed mindedness I don't agree with.

Also, it's hard to have such an epiphany using only rocks and not have someone wonder if you were smoking.

That was me asking if you were smoking something, man. o_o

João Rodrigues said...

I agree with you to some extent. People need to mold themselves, not let others do it for them. That's the basics of manipulation!

Dave said...

Old Bridge in Mostar loks great.

mindlessfrk said...

Really beautiful, got visit Bosnia one day :D

brn said...

too bad my english is not good enough for me to share a decent opinion about it.
btw, i've never heard of Brave New World and now i'm just really curious to read it!

Mercurio said...

childrens are the stones, family and teachers are the architects and workers that builds the society with them. When they become adults the role changes for the new generations.

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