On the Uses of a Liberal Education
I am currently reading On the Uses of a Liberal Education by Mark Edmundson. The article appeared in Harper’s Magazine, September 1997.
I must say that the education system he describes in 1997 has not appeared to change thirteen years later. A system of “logocentrism, patriarchy, ideology,” where students defer to professors in order to claim moderate grades and passively float through their school years. Where the system rewards the student that doesn’t argue but wants to be entertained and marketed to as a consumer. Where ignorance is so blind, students are not even passionate about learning to change their state as mindless cogs.
This brought to the surface an idea that has followed me around for several years, how does one break out of this system? The first step shouldn’t be denial, it should be realization.
A friend walked up to me in the food court today, just minutes before writing this, and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was reading. He asked if it was for class, to which I replied, no, I was just reading. He looked at me quizzically and said that he would be asleep instead. (Now the real clincher.) I said something to the effect of wanting an education, to his response, I get enough of that around here. I shot back, “I hardly feel educated here at all.”
In short I am afraid of myself and a generation that has been mediocrely educated. I am entirely jealous of students at Cornell University (it sits across the hill from me) and any Ivy League school, and am wondering why I didn’t apply to at least one Ivy. But that is a facet of the past, an undergraduate choice I didn’t make.
The real question is what can be done to change this broken system, inspire the kids of today to desire education and intelligent arguments, to understand their ignorance?
Please read the article, I have linked it above and here.
Also Seth Godin put out an interesting PDF called Brainwashed. It is about how we are trained to pursue a job and how we can think differently about the current state of economy and potential careers.
Entourage, LA, the Music Scene, the Future is Bright
I have been watching too much Entourage.
My friends and I are comparing who would be who.
I get stuck with Eric, but I’m the perfect fit.
I also feel like I could do Ari’s job.
Except with musicians.
I love the music scene a lot more and just feel that connection to them.
The struggle to make it, I get that.
I am super pumped for LA next spring.
Plus I feel my photo work is getting stronger.
Definitely took some great portraits over the weekend.
Should be able to show those soon, I am going to try and scan the 4×5 negatives before I leave for break.
The image is of me on stage with Savoir Adore while Anamanaguchi is playing an encore.
I think I am looking down at my camera.
Typical me.
All work, no play.
Here’s to a big future.
Here’s to SXSW (which I am not able to attend this year, unless someone wants to put me up).
Let’s go get the day!
God is a Personal God
I’ve been going through a rough spot with religion.
These spots are never good on the approach, but I always feel I learn and grow coming out of them.
I was given this book by my parents before I left for this term at school.
It is called GRACE Essentials: A Handbook for Spiritual Maturity.
It was created by Living Word Community Church in York, PA, which is my home church.
And man is it hitting home right now for me.
Too often, Christianity is presented or understood only in moralistic terms. In other words, being a Christian means that we live a certain kind of moral life. We do certain things that are good, and we refrain from doing certain things which are bad. While there is a clear morality that Christ calls us to incorporate into our lives, morality is not the center of our faith. Jesus died not to make us good, but rather he died to make us his. And it is when we become his and live in intimacy with him that he changes us to make us better and more moral.
Christianity can also be misunderstood as merely a philosophy or set of beliefs. There is a Christian philosophy and there are core doctrinal beliefs that Christians need to embrace, but churches are full of people who hold to a solid Christian philosophy of life, as weel as believing the doctrines of the church, yet do not have a personal relationship with Christ.
Yeah, I’m kind of there right now.