Education (training) - Molding Individuals and Cultures

One of the things that needs to change is our educational system; a system that is making it's way throughout the entire world. Through developmental practices, there has been a virus like expansion of an educational system that is more based on memorize and regurgitate than on common sense, logical thought or continual learning. Fact is that we do not teach how to learn. In a world where time equals money, everything seems to have had a value attached to it and measured against economic rules; this includes the educational system and life itself.

Where certifications prevail, so does linear thought patterns based on the concept of "good enough" but deceiving the recipient into thinking that they have actually achieved something of value. This is evident in I.T. certifications in which the recipient can achieve competency but cannot adapt to the evolution of software, therefore requiring more training. As a business model, this works very well, as it assures the company offering the training, a constant revenue stream. This may also fool the recipient that they are constantly learning rather than being re-trained. Animals can be trained based on the concept that it will receive a "treat" for it's actions. The same can be said for humans, the treat being the prospect of advancing in a job with the hopes of more money.

"Get them young and you can get them to do almost anything"; this is true in both animals and humans. I once heard of a plan, for the Canadian educational system, to introduce cheque balancing and personal finance at a grade 6 level at schools. This, to me is an example of "training" the minds rather than educating them. Combined with the lives that the parents live, the constant bombardment of mis-information and the constant flow of "buy me" "want me" advertising, these children do not stand a chance of ever having a free and original thought. They should though, grow up to be good, productive members of society; neither asking too many questions and blindly following the rest of the herd.

I see this spreading into the "developing" countries but ask; developing into what? With the promises of advancement and a better life, first world nations have been slowly transforming the rest of the world into the same competitive, narcissistic individuals while killing their respective cultures. Blinded by money and technology, ever hopeful of a better life and addicted to the "life's little pleasures" such as alcohol, tobacco and sugar, these cultures slowly die off trying to achieve the life that they view as "better".

The corporate masters encourage this form of training as the measure of competency. All through life, one is asked the question "what is your education?" while obediently showing their certificates and diplomas that they have accumulated over their lives; forever chasing a dream.

I will stop here as it is to easy to venture of the path and blur the issues into one. I will state again that without logical thought, common sense and the ability to learn, there is no education; there is only training. True learning comes from taking all the experiences of life, every outside influence and analyzing them to formulate your own conclusions; not blindly accepting what others want you to learn, for their agendas may be tainted.