#quality of thought

[leigh-doing-stuff]

The quality of our thoughts and ideas can only be as good as the quality of our language.

George Carlin

[claudiakastellanos]

Thoughts on the Concept of Learning and the War on Independent Thought:

There are some things here I’d like to address within the concept of education and learning…

I like to jump right into the obvious…A PhD/where you went to college/career/the path you chose to live your life does not make your opinions/reasoning superior to others. College/a masters does not give your opinions/beliefs/views a jurisdiction over others differing opinions/beliefs/views. Some people hold their education like it's a Gucci purse...a "Designer Education"...designer bag/designer vessel - Don't hold it like one. Learning is a path - there are many.

Those that didn’t choose further formal education after graduating high school simply chose a different path of learning - paths of learning are like paths of spirituality - there are many life paths - respect that.

Some chose not to go to college or grad school, not because they aren’t “smart” - they are smart in many ways. They simply chose a different experience/a different style of learning.

Education and Commerce:

Some colleges out there (Some) have become more like elitist country clubs than vessels of education where only the very rich can attend or if you pay a ridiculous amount of money you can go there too. Is packaged knowledge really truly credible/respected if it's worth high monetary value or is it in turn already teaching us false respect? Maybe, maybe you're not getting so much of a high quality of thought but just a really costly luxury setting. Does it cost so much just because of "the people" who went there before you? People are people - everyone's purpose/education is different, don't try and be a clone/carbon copy of someone before you - be you.

Don't ever think that your quality of thought/reason to be superior and elitist compared to others who have shelled out less money than you. Somebody who has paid less money or who has even chosen the learning path of self-education can have a higher quality of thought than somebody who paid big bucks for formal education. Commerce in more ways than one has the concept of education right where it wants it - by the balls. They want to stamp a number on your brain capacity like it's a slab of meat. You know you can learn more, grasp a better understanding, learn a hidden lesson within a lesson, and do more than the GPA or grade you receive by some bias or unbiased teacher. So, that's something to ponder.

Independent thought:

Just because you identify/solidify your plans with a career choice does not mean you aren’t allowed to get into alternate beliefs/theories/question all that you’ve been taught - you can and are still free to do so.

Sometimes people think they have to start “going” with the general consensus votes/the popular vote on certain issues when they buckle down on certain career paths - and that takes away a portion of their identity. You want the freedom of independent thought/to make your own choices/have your own beliefs/voice; You don’t have to become a cloned product from the mill.

Concept of Possibility:

For the people who go with different methods for drawing up conclusions/end products that differ from your own - don’t ever assume that they haven’t heard both sides of the story/looked at both sides of a coin before flipping/worked out an equation from several angles before coming up with the “answer”. Schools should focus on this more - You shouldn't think something isn't an answer just because you haven't thought of it because It's possible you could be wrong.

Assumption can be one of the most stupidest acts in this world. One cannot deny possibility. Unawareness denies possibility. Unknown possibilities are upon you everyday. Do you know what all will happen to you step by step/hour by hour/minute by minute tomorrow/for the week/month/year?- Possibly not.

So, just because you haven’t thought of something/a possibility does not mean that it doesn’t exist or that it renders it false - don’t let your judgment fall to arrogance/ignorance.

Life is a precious event:

Constantly working too hard on the gamble of your life (People lose their identities with this method all the time.) - you gamble your Freedom/Life working on the bet that you can buy the time to do what you love later. That “later” may never come for some people.

Now, In some cases education can teach some of us to be respectful, reverent, and open to listen to others opinions/views and express our own opinions/views in a calm collective non-threatening manner. In some cases education can teach us to be skeptical of anything and everything, and to shoot down others differing views/perspectives, to stand steadfast in our premeditated agendas.

Vessels of education can influence us in both good and bad ways - only if we let it.

As with any end product of learning/knowledge - it is part teacher and part student.

Self Evaluation:

There are some questions we must reflect on that impact the way we learn.

Who is your teacher? Are you becoming your teacher or are you integrating elements of the teacher? Are you letting the teacher show you the paths or are you choosing your teacher’s path? Do they demonstrate a non-bias style of teaching/opportunity of learning?

Do you surround yourself with peers of many different views/lives? Do they all share the same biases as you? Why do you surround yourself with whom you surround yourself?

Character - Value it:

Character and grace are getting rarer and rarer these days. Some schools do teach the importance of character, respect for others, respect for yourself, and grace…and some schools do not, but would they be considered “alternative courses” if they were offered? They might be alternative for those who haven’t been blessed with the capacity for at-home learning from their parents/environment, or those who chose not to accept these values.

Lack of etiquette and respect can no doubt effect the quality of the learning process.

Future Success:

In the end success in what we want to ultimately do/what we dream/how we want to live is the goal for many. Success through education/school often gets skewed; Success isn’t achieved by the size of our brain but by the quality of our thought. Qualitative is more valuable than quantitative in most cases. Don't let money place a stamp on your quality of thought.

“It is our character that supports the promise of our future.” - William J. Bennett

Many of us forget that the way to knowledge should be a fun journey, not a battle. The path of learning towards knowledge you choose shouldn't only teach you how to obtain your career goals or how the world works but who YOU are as an individual and how YOU work. Now go out and explore the many paths of learning. Experience is a pretty good teacher ;)