Countless times I've had the discussion about the "AHA" moment. We look forward to the time when we "get it". "It" seems to elude a great deal of society in this day and age. Truth be told, "it" has been right at your fingertips waiting for you to discover.
You might then ask; if it's so simple why is "it" so elusive? After all the number of deep thinkers in this day and age are relatively small. Could you name a modern day Socrates, or a Plato? When's the last time you were in the company of a man possessing Ben Franklin's wisdom? I think we can all agree they are few and far between. There are certainly none in government! Shouldn't our leaders emulate the wisdom of days gone by?
Well I'm going to let the cat out of the bag. What's missing in today's society that keeps us from "getting it".
"It" begins with what and if, we read. It's the change in our educational system since the early 1900's when we entered the industrial age. We went from a community run school house, usually taught by a wholesome member of the community, to government operated school systems designed to teach you to get a job, not to think. Then we had a different design to our education, taught by an instructor with rigid values. Not true today.
Formerly we were taught to read classics at a young age. Aesop's fables for example, gave us life lessons designed to mold us. We then advanced to Mark Twain, Kipling, and Dickens. All with morality guides and examples of good and evil, and the consequences surrounding those decisions. "IT" was defined for us within those stories. Let's not forget the Bible, life's instruction manual. As we grow, the writings of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Socrates, Plato, Franklin, and other great mentors are stepping stones to "getting it".
None of this has been present in modern schooling for some time now. These affects are obvious.The most challenging struggles in life are internal - the classics can help.We can let books teach us life lessons and avoid the pain of repeating them ourselves. Modern man educates himself thru TV and the newspaper. All written by products of an education system void of the wisdom hidden in the classics. All we need is a book and we can learn!
Today's prodigies are being molded by "Sponge Bob Square Pants", "Bevis and Butthead", and "The Simpson's", providing family values. Is it any wonder why no deep thinkers come to mind immediately?
Something clicks when your exposed to great thinking. The reader awakens, your mind is stretched, your ideas are bigger, your dreams are wilder, your faith is deeper, and your horizons broader! It's a challenge to discipline yourself to reading, like beginning a diet or a weight lifting regiment. Just like those examples, results will slowly begin to show. Then finally "it" will be apparent.
God Bless
Capt. Bill
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Nice posting Cap'I'tan. ~ your 'she-bear' friend
ReplyDeleteHum!
ReplyDeleteI don't know at what time in history that the plan of mind altering began.
We are being shaped on what to think.
To be able to become a great thinker we need the tools of knowledge.
Starting with school but when the school teachers priority is to get little Johnny in the closet there's a problem.
Then there's the church that teaches morality once again little Johnny in the closet.
We are being manipulated by the people we trust.
There is a system of meaningless principals being thought in today's world.
Yesterday's principals where flawless to a point.
Then some with an agenda said we need to fix it there's a problem.
It ! didn't ! need ! fixing !.
Look at fixing what was almost a flawless system had done.
Let go back to when teacher thought, character and principals that meant something.
Lets go back to the days of old fasion values,
Lets slow down and think.
lets start by turning off the TV and pic up a book.
Thank you for your time.
.........................I MAN