Some philosophers suggest that our view of the world is limited and often even influenced by the rose colored glasses that we tend to wear. They argue that we can never really know what true reality is because of the limits of our perceptions. I suppose that there is some merit to their beliefs, but I also think that we are indeed capable of moving beyond the limits of our experiences as long as we are willing to consciously seek to find answers to our universal questions about our place in the universe.
I’ve read that we use only a small amount of our brain power and yet I often marvel at the genius of humans and wonder what we might accomplish if we spent enough time exercising our minds as much as we are often willing to train our bodies. Perhaps universities might be thought of as gyms for our minds but such institutions are not our only source of knowledge. Just as we might purchase equipment for building our muscles and strengthening our bones, we should be creating libraries to widen our points of view. We would do well to embrace a willingness to acquaint ourselves with a multitude of ideas from which we might begin to parse truths or understand how things work. We should never simply rely on a single source of information when attempting to learn. The wise student is openminded and willing to consider both the pros and cons of a theory.
Some truths are quantifiable. Others are more nebulous. We can calculate the strength of a bridge and predict how strong it will be, but we can never fully account for the way humans will approach that connecting road. A sturdy structure may prevent us from falling into a raging river, but it can’t stop a saddened individual from hurling themselves into the deep. The world of unintended consequences is enormous. The glory of our minds is creative. The worst aspect of our minds is hurtful and deadly. The tension between our good and bad natures is the stuff of legends and true crime stories.
Most of us follow the rules for living together in peace, but now and again we see the human tendency to cooperate being used for grave evil. Despots enlist loyal followers to carry out acts that seem so unimaginable that we ask ourselves how anyone might have been swayed to do such things. History is filled with stories of evil committed in the name of wayward politics. We would do well to educate ourselves enough that we will never be lulled into the complacency of simply following orders when they do not seem right.
I often wonder how and who first thought of turning us against each other. Why did someone or some group decide that the color of our skin mattered? How did anyone ever fall for the idea that we should rank people’s values based on a feelings rather than truths? The prejudices that we see over and over again are there because we limit ourselves by relying on others to interpret situations for us. We ban ideas and lifestyles without really knowing much about them. We judge people from behind our rose colored glasses that distort our view.
I find that the more I am willing to investigate controversial topics the better I feel about people and situations that might have once frightened me. I don’t want my mind to be a narrow tube through which all of my thoughts must go. I need room to expand my knowledge of the world. Western thinking is often brilliant but it is not the only source if ideas, just as my Christianity is not the only way to view spirituality.
My mother took me to church and sent me to lessons in the Catholic faith that she so loved, but she also taught me that there were other ways of believing that I should respect and study. My mother-in-law introduced me to eastern theologies that saw our journeys as humans in much different but equally beautiful and rewarding ways. She warned me over and over again to beware of anyone claiming to have the only true way of thinking. She worried about those who would force their beliefs on others.
There are those who poke fun at certain programs of study in our universities. They insist that we should measure the worth of an education on the value of the jobs that follow after graduation. They quantify the importance of learning in dollars and cents, then insist that we shut down departments that appear to have little monetary value in the grand scheme of things. They ask why we need to read literature or study the history and sociology of Africa. They denounce psychology as a bit of trivia and laugh at the idea that there is any reason to study philosophy or latin. We forget that universities originally existed to expand the knowledge of wealthy individuals who learned the classics. It has only been in the more modern era that colleges began to teach specific skills in engineering and such. Before that time students interested in such jobs might have focused on mathematics and physics. Those wanting to attain leadership roles in business might have taken classes in rhetoric and writing. Now college majors are more and more focused even as we all know that what is presented in a computer science class today will already be outdated when we graduate tomorrow.
The focus of education should not be only about learning skills. Instead it should be about knowing how to find and present information. It should be mostly about learning how to continually learn. Banning or dropping anything would be counterintuitive to a knowledgeable society. We should insist on the variety and openness of schools, not a pared down version of what we judge to be practical and acceptable. Limiting what is available for students to learn is the antithesis of what we should want for ourselves and for future generations. We should instead insist on creating a cornucopia of learning for all of our students.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 